Colombia’s National Registry came under new attack on Wednesday, this time from the country’s President Alvaro Uribe, who said that the blame for the problems that arose during Sunday’s vote-counting process must lay solely on the Registry itself, reported Colombian media.
The country’s National Registrar Carlos Ariel Sanchez on Tuesday publicly accepted responsibility for the Registry’s part in irregularities in the congressional elections held Sunday and the delays to the vote-counting procedure.
Colombia’s President Uribe, however, said that the government institution must bear sole responsibility in the failures that occurred at the polling stations.
Uribe suggested political motivation behind the delays – coining the term “politicketing” – and said, “It’s very sad that while the National Armed Forces have been devoted to defending democracy, politicketing has led to these failures in the Registry.”
This follows news that the Colombian president on Tuesday asked the inspector general to investigate Registrar Carlos Ariel Sanchez for allegedly violating the weekend-long election alcohol ban with a drink of scotch.
Investigations will commence into the claims of Colombian President Uribe, which have been denied by the Registry official, who said in an interview with Caracol that he did not, and does not, drink alcohol.