Who cannot vote in the Colombian presidential elections?

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This is what citizens expect 3:01

(CNN Spanish) --

There are three groups of Colombians who cannot vote in the country's presidential elections that will take place on May 29: members of the public forces in service, convicts who are serving sentences and citizens who have renounced his nationality.

We explain each case here.

To be able to vote in the presidential elections, it is necessary to be in the electoral census, the database that groups Colombians who live both in the national territory and abroad and who can exercise their right to vote.

• SPECIAL: ELECTIONS IN COLOMBIA

Outside the electoral census, according to the National Registry of Civil Status, several population groups:

On the one hand, members of the public force in service, a category that includes the

In this regard, article 219 of the country's Constitution states that they "may not exercise the function of suffrage while they remain in active service, nor intervene in activities or debates of political parties or movements."

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A policeman guards a polling station during the parliamentary elections in Bogotá, on March 13, 2022. The police officers on duty are part of the population that cannot vote in the elections.

(Credit: Raúl Arboleda/ AFP/ Getty Images)

People convicted of a crime who

, either in prison or with the benefit of "house arrest", cannot vote either because they have lost their political rights and are outside the electoral roll.

A caveat is necessary here: people who are deprived of liberty but have not yet received a sentence can exercise the right to vote.

There are currently more than 73,000 convicted prisoners held in the country's jails in Colombia, while about 23,500 are accused, that is, without conviction, according to data from the National Penitentiary and Prison Institute.

On the other hand, more than 72,000 people are serving house arrest or with a monitoring device, according to data as of April 2022 from the institution.

Finally, Colombians who have

cannot participate in the presidential elections either.

The census is permanently purged to also remove deceased people from the list.

Foreigners residing in Colombia can vote in certain ordinary municipal and district elections, but these categories do not include presidential elections.

Colombia will elect a president and vice president on election day on May 29, after the legislative elections that took place on March 13.

There, Colombians elected a new Congress and participated in three internal consultations of key coalitions ahead of the presidential elections.

Here you can read who were winners and losers in those elections.

Elections Colombia Voter Information