The president of Colombia, Gustavo Petro, called on citizens this Sunday (21) to go to the polls, in the election that will elect the next head of state, in a fierce second round between the progressive Iván Cepeda and the conservative Abelardo de la Espriella, with two different proposals on how to deal with the armed conflict in the country.
Petro reiterated that he does not trust the preliminary results that the National Registry will release this Sunday, but rather the official count that the judges will carry out in the coming days, which will determine the outcome of the election. “The judges will make the decision after evaluating all the complaints; I will obey the judges. Everything until then is just information,” he said, during the opening ceremony of the vote in Plaza de Bolívar.
Heads of institutions such as the Attorney General’s Office, the Public Defender’s Office and the National Registry called for confidence in the electoral system and the prevention of acts of violence after the results are announced. “When the new president is declared, despite our political divisions, we will continue to be part of the same country,” said public defender Iris Marin.
Open ballot boxes
The polls opened at 8am (10am in Brazil) across the country and the more than 41 million Colombians who have the right to vote will be able to make their choice until 4pm.
After the voting closes, the preliminary counting of votes will begin. This count is for informational purposes only and will be verified in the coming days, during the official count, which will determine the winner of the election.
