Colombia’s National Electoral Council on Thursday suspended the legal status of controversial new political party ADN.
According to the electoral authority, the party violated regulations when it transformed existing party Colombia Viva into the National Democratic Alliance.
ADN was heavily criticized by the press and political opponents of the Uribista party for its ties to “dirty” politicians and its alleged financing by drug gangs.
Many of ADN’s members are former members of Colombia Viva, Convergencia Ciudadana and Colombia Democratica, three Colombian political parties that are now effectively defunct, after being disgraced by their members’ links with paramilitaries.
Weekly Semana reported that former Convergencia Ciudadana Senator Juan Carlos Martinez Sinisterra masterminded the creation of the new party from prison, where he is incarcerated for parapolitics, while Cambio asserts that “in an attempt to clean up its polluted image, Convergencia Ciudadana has become the ADN.” Cambio claims that the ADN is in fact the same legal entity as Convergencia Cuidadana.
One of the ADN candidates is the sister of Vicente Blel, who was sentenced on Tuesday to seven years in prison for “para-politics.”
None of the candidates will now be able to take part in the elections unless they find a new party that will incorporate them.