A week before the Colombian presidential election, the campaign comes to a close with high temperatures. This Sunday (22), candidates wrap up their intervention in the public square by hunting down the undecided in an increasingly polarized climate.
Death threats, distrust of the electoral system and escalation of violence in remote areas are raising spirits on the eve of the first round next Sunday, raising specters of murder across the country.
Gustavo Petro, a 62-year-old ex-guerrilla and opposition senator who is the former mayor of Bogotá, remains at the top of the polls (41%), despite not finding enough support to avoid the June 19 runoff. If he wins, it will be the first time the left has come to power in a country historically ruled by conservative and liberal elites.
In the final runoff, polls predict a duel between Petro and the right-wing Federico Gutiérrez, the 47-year-old former mayor of Medellin, who gets about 27% of the vote, but is followed by an outsider: the independent businessman who follows him closely. Rodolfo Hernández is 77 years old and impossible to be on the political spectrum. Franco-Colombian candidate Ingrid Betancourt, a former hostage of FARC guerrillas, joined her campaign on Friday.
Very active and expressive in the public sphere, Petro concludes his campaign this Sunday in downtown Bogota, next to the Town Hall, which he commanded from 2012-2015. His running mate, Afro environmentalist Francia Márquez, will accompany him on the platform. According to the candidate’s campaign team, this will be his 100th speech since August last year, and an opportunity to reaffirm his promise of “change” without revenge “for all Colombians” that will rein in “political hatred in society”, according to the campaign team.
“Fico” Gutiérrez will hold a rally on the same day in Medellín (northwest), his political stronghold and second city in the country. The leader of the right-wing coalition “Team for Colombia”, after calling on “communists” who want to “dispose” and “destroy institutions”, invites them to unite and fight “insecurity” amid polarization. .
– The Shadow of Fraud -The campaign was marred by threats against its top candidates. Petro had to step up his security and now speaks before an audience dressed in a bulletproof vest and protected by armored shields. On Saturday night, while speaking in Bogotá, a green laser was aimed at Francia Márquez and the rally was cancelled. The Ministry of the Interior is investigating the case.
In addition to the climate sparse by violence, Gutiérrez denounced the intimidation that heightened fears of murder in a country where five presidential candidates were killed in the 20th century.
Another controversy is intensifying in the last part of the campaign, fueled by the distrust of the electoral process, which performed poorly in the legislatures on March 13. At that time, the final count gave about 400,000 votes to the left, which was not included in the preliminary count announced on voting day.
The Petro-led coalition gained three more seats in the Parliament, reaching 45, making it the main political force along with the Liberals.
After several revelations about the computer program to be used in vote counting, rumors circulated that the head of the National Registry of Civil Status responsible for organizing the elections would be dismissed or dismissed, or even postponed. selection within the last hour.
On Saturday night, Petro issued a “warning” and said in a speech in Barranquilla (north) that they were “trying to influence the plebiscite”.
“They are considering suspending the elections, they are considering suspending the bodies that govern the electoral process in Colombia,” he vehemently assured. The leftist called for an “urgent” meeting with the other candidates on Monday to discuss the matter.
Interior Minister Diego Palacios denied the allegations on Twitter: “The statements about the postponement or suspension of the elections are absolutely baseless. We ask the candidates and teams not to produce disinformation,” he wrote.
Similarly, registrar Alexander Vega said on Sunday he could guarantee “legitimate and transparent” presidential elections. He stated that the attacks against his institution corresponded to an “unjust and false narrative of fraud (…)”.
But doubts about the electoral system “have been floating around for a few days. It’s possible that Petro was trying to prevent the coup by making a public statement,” commented a diplomatic source, “postponing elections is postponing elections. Like Colombia, it depends on democracy (…) but a lot of tension. there is,” he warned.
source: Noticias
