With five months to go to Colombia’s local elections in October, electoral observers said on Wednesday that violence levels have already surpassed that of the 2015 elections.
According to the Electoral Observation Mission (MOE), there have been 74 acts of aggression against local and regional political leaders, including 10 homicides.
Additionally, 52 social leaders who generally have great influence over communities in local elections, were also killed, MOE president Alejandra Barrios told Caracol Radio.
MOE president Alejandra Barrios
Violence against political leaders
The MOE’s early warning followed that of The Peace of Reconciliation Foundation (PARES), which said last month that violence against aspiring elected officials and sitting officials saw a significant increase over the past few months.
The upcoming local elections are the first in which the FARC, until 2016 a guerrilla group, participates. The former guerrillas have already lost more than 125 of its members, but it is uncertain whether this is related to their political participation.
FARC politicans fear for their safety in run-up to first local elections since Colombia’s peace deal
What concerns the MOE is that the violence, which reached record lows in the 2018 national elections, began almost immediately after the formal start of the election year in October, MOE analyst Camilo Vargas told newspaper El Nuevo Siglo.
MOE analyst Camilo Vargas
As feared, the violence that according to the Ombudsman’s Office has killed more than 460 social leaders over the past three year is now also targeting political leaders aspiring election in October.
The most violent provinces are Cauca, where 10 politicians were killed and another 10 received death threats, Antioquia with seven murder victims and eight threatened politicians and La Guajira where 14 politicians received death threats.
The violence is affecting parties from all sides of the political spectrum, the MOE said.
MOE analyst Camilo Vargas
Political parties most affected by violence
The MOE said that it expected violence to increase as the October 27 elections, in which Colombians elect mayors, governors, deputies and members of city councils, come closer.