Significantly fewer independent voting officials monitored polling stations around Colombia in the nation’s second round of presidential elections, reports Caracol Radio.
The Electoral Observation Mission (MOE) – a Colombian NGO which monitors elections – dispatched just 1,594 officials to stations throughout the country, which is less than half the number of monitors employed during the first round of elections on May 30.
MOE director, Alejandra Barrios, said that the NGO reduced the number of monitors because of the soccer World Cup, the fact that the country’s university students are currently on vacation, and the lack of significant problems encountered during the frist round elections three weeks ago.
Widespread voter abstention and outbreaks of violence around the country were reported by MOE in their first statement on Sunday’s elections.
Rain and the World Cup contributed to the low turnout at polling stations, according to Alejandra Barrios, but there have been “no reports of defects or irregularities that could compromise the results of the election day.”
MOE expressed concern over violence by armed groups on election day, especially in the departments of Norte de Santander, Antioquia, Valle del Cauca, Cauca, Nariño, Huila and Putumayo.