The country awoke this morning to two contradictory facts: a repeat of Gustavo Petro, a candidate for the Historical Pact.“This Tuesday,” a “coup” is coming from sectors that “plan to suspend the elections, suspend the organs that manage the electoral system, and demand violence on the pretext of maintaining the current power”. On the other hand, it is a clear fact that the elections started at the Colombian Consulate in New Zealand this Sunday at 3:00 Colombian time.
(In context: The government denies the allegation that the presidential elections were suspended)
Petro made his statement in front of thousands of people. First, in front of an audience listening to him in Medellin on Saturday night, then at another show in Zipaquirá, Cundinamarca; and repeated it right in front of a Plaza de Bolivar in Bogota at the end of the campaign.
His thesis clearly contradicts the fact that the process is already underway. Registrar Alexander Vega said that the fact that Colombians were already voting distorted Petro’s complaint.
“I would like to make it clear to the public that, presidential elections cannot be suspended, postponed or canceled “According to our regulations, the selection process starts with the table opened at the New Zealand Consulate today,” he said.
The registrar announced that 972,764 Colombians abroad are authorized to vote through 250 voting stations and 1,343 desks at consulates in 67 countries.
He also announced on Monday that Colombians living in Venezuela will be able to vote at six border points established in La Guajira, Norte de Santander, Arauca and Guainía. This is exceptional due to the deterioration of bilateral relations between Bogotá and Caracas.
Vega’s statement is supported by the president Ivan Duke“Nobody can imagine that the elections will be postponed or there will be a coup,” he said this Sunday.
(Read: Iván Duque: ‘Elections will not be suspended’)
“Statements that talk about postponing or suspending elections are absolutely false. We ask candidates and teams not to produce disinformation. Transparent elections begin with the responsibility of candidates not to provide false information,” he said. Interior Minister Daniel Palacios.
So why did Petro invite Sergio Fajardo and Rodolfo Hernández to an emergency meeting to analyze his thesis?
In this case, there are two options: Does the Historical Pact candidate have privileged information that would allow him to make such a claim, or is he playing with it? ‘fake news’ from the tremendous results?
The elections, as has been said, will not only be suspended, but have already begun. Also, elections are taking place in Colombia amid more fraud charges, complaints against dissidents, and even very serious acts of violence.
(Also: Presidential candidates react to Gustavo Petro’s call)
Alejandra Barrios, Election Observation Mission, MOE directoris categorical in stating that it is “really impossible” to postpone the elections.
He says that he is following the whole election process with common sense and that this will be possible due to force majeure such as natural disasters. In other words, an earthquake that will affect a large part of Colombian territory.
In Colombia, elections were never suspended or postponed, even during the worst years of the war between the State and the extinct FARC guerrilla, or amid the brutal murderous attacks of narco-terrorism in the late 1980s.
As a matter of fact, paramilitary organizations of the far right assassinated presidential candidates. Jaime Pardo Leal (1987), Luis Carlos Galán Sarmiento (1989), Bernardo Jaramillo Ossa (1990) and Carlos Pizarro Leongómez (1990). But elections were held.
(Also: Andrés Pastrana: ‘The coup is already over’)
Like this? It is possible that Peter resorted to an accusation out of fear that the results would not be good for him, or because he believed in his heart that he would be deceived. In any case, both possibilities only create more distrust in a campaign where candidates sow uncertainty.
“Gustavo: 1. A fire cannot be extinguished with gasoline. 2. It is irresponsible to assume that non-existent facts are true. 3. I’m a victim of hoops and I don’t lend myself to making them,” Hernández told Petro.
So why does Petro think there are facts that prompt him to make such a complaint? In his three speeches, the candidate listed several actions that were also listed by respected analysts.
For example, Rodrigo Uprimny by DeJusticiaOne of the most serious think tanks in the country says democracy is in danger because “no government since 1970 has shown such bias against opposition candidates as Duque and his allies have.” Four examples are: i) the rough suspension guarantee law uses public procurement to favor certain candidates, ii) the president and several of his ministers openly intervened in the election due to his repeated statements against historic pact proposals, iii) the president approves the decision of the military commander. blatant interference in politics; and iv) aligning the Prosecution and control institutions (General Prosecutor’s Office, Court of Accounts and Ombudsman) with the government, and none of these institutions guaranteeing the opposition.”
That’s why Uprimny asks, “If we don’t want them to end in tragedy or a democratic break, some influential actors such as businessmen, media, academics, churches, community or organizations are necessary in these days and weeks.” Unions openly express their democratic commitment and respect for the election results no matter what.
By contrast, political analyst and strategist Guillermo Henao explains that in the midst of the presidential race, different presidential candidates, including Petro, are using terms and narratives that could be part of “polarizing extremism”.
“Petro in his narrative of the urgency of change, the attack on order and the victimization of the current process.. ”says Henao.
(To read: Presidential debate: What would you ask the candidates?)
Jaime Duarte, political analyst and professor of Government at Columbia University of Externado, explains that for his part, the implication of a ‘coup’ stems from the fact that they are “trying to claim that there is a concentration of power.” and the independence of control bodies is not respected”.
The problem for several analysts consulted by EL TIEMPO is that Petro’s complaints should be made in tandem with his words and not even implied that there will be a “coup,” because unfortunately it is a word with such a violent connotation in Latin America. . It is as painful as it is undemocratic.
In his case, so far, according to polls, he has at least one guaranteed position for the runoff in an irreversible selection process.
POLITICS
– Definitive debate of presidential candidates in EL TIEMPO and ‘Semana’
– Voting abroad begins: this is the final stage of the presidential election
Source: Exame
