This Sunday morning the electoral battle began in Colombia with the legislative elections, which include 16 seats for the victims of the armed conflict, and the consultations in which three coalitions will choose presidential candidates.
Voting opened nationwide at 08:00 and will close at 16:00.
A total of 38,819,901 Colombians -of whom 20.03 million are women and 18.78 million men- were summoned to the polls to elect the 108 members of the Senate and the 188 members of the House of Representatives, whose legislative period of four years will begin on July 20.
For the celebration of this day, the National Registry, organizing entity of the elections, enabled 110,758 voting tables in 12,262 positions throughout the country, to which are added 250 positions with 1,251 tables abroad, where the elections were opened last Monday and will close today.
In an unprecedented event, Colombians who live in the rural areas hardest hit by the armed conflict will be able to choose this Sunday with their own lists made up of victims, 16 seats for the Chamber, which form the so-called “peace seats.”
This election will take place in the Special Transitory Circumscriptions of Peace, provided for in the agreement signed between the Government and the FARC, and encompass the 167 municipalities hardest hit by the conflict, distributed in 18 of the 32 Colombian departments.
presidential primaries
Election day also includes the consultations of three center, left and right coalitions, a kind of internal ones, to choose their presidential candidates for the elections that will be held on May 29 in the first round, and on June 19 if it is need a second.
In the consultation of the Historical Pact, which brings together leftist parties, Senator Gustavo Petro, favorite in all the polls to win the Presidency, as well as the social leader Francia Márquez, the former governor of Nariño Camilo Romero, the leader of the community indigenous Wayuú Arelis Uriana Guariyú and the evangelical pastor Alfredo Saade.
The Centro Esperanza Coalition has as candidates the former mayor of Medellín Sergio Fajardo, the former senator Juan Manuel Galán, the former Minister of Health Alejandro Gaviria, the senator Jorge Enrique Robledo and the former governor of Boyacá Carlos Amaya.
On the right, the Equipo por Colombia coalition will choose between former mayors Federico Gutiérrez, of Medellín; Enrique Peñalosa (Bogotá), and Alejandro Char (Barranquilla), and Senators David Barguil and Aydeé Lizarazo.
To ensure the security of the elections at a time of increasing violence, the Ministry of Defense mobilized 241,461 military and police officers throughout the country.
It is expected that about two hours after the polling stations close, the National Registry already has consolidated results. (I)
Source: Eluniverso
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