The National Electoral Commission on Tuesday rejected an appeal by Colombia’s Bolivarian Socialist Movement (MBS) against the commission’s decision to prevent the movement registering as a political party.
National Electoral Commission president Marco Emilio Hincapie said the MBS did not meet the constitutional requirement of obtaining a list of signatures equivalent to 2% of the number of Colombians eligible to vote.
Leader of the MBS David Corredor launched a complaint alleging that the Cucuta Registry Office refused to accept his list of signatures.
Hincapie said the MBS is no longer eligible to present Colombian Senate candidates because the registration period has already expired.
The MBS still has the recourse to appeal the commission’s decision.
Juan Pablo Cepero, head of the electoral commission, claimed last Friday that the application was rejected because the MBS had received funding from Venezuela. Under Colombian law it is illegal for political parties to receive foreign financing.
Corredor criticised the National Electoral Commission’s rejection at the beginning of February, saying that the commission had requested documents that his party was not aware were necessary.