Colombian presidential candidates Gustavo Petro and Rodolfo Hernández. LUISA GONZALEZ (REUTERS)
The presidency of Colombia will be defined this Sunday, June 19, in a second round between Gustavo Petro, the leftist candidate who obtained 40% of the votes, and Rodolfo Hernández, with 28%.
Although in these three weeks of campaign Hernández has managed to get many votes from right-wing sectors, which were previously with Federico Gutiérrez, it is not yet known with certainty if his growth will be enough to catch up with Petro, who has received the support of important politicians such as Antanas Mockus, Angélica Lozano and Alejandro Gaviria.
The latest polls predict a technical tie between the two candidates.
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the polls open
At 8:00 a.m. sharp, the polling stations open in Colombia, until 4:00 p.m. In this street on Calle 85, one of the busiest in the north of Bogotá, the line is already long.
Lucia Franco13:02
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Election day kicks off with the opening of polls across the country
The president of Colombia, Iván Duque, has given the beginning of this electoral day that will end with the name of the new president of Colombia.
Colombians have from 8 in the morning until 4 in the afternoon to go out and vote and choose the fate of the country.
Lucia Franco13:00
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Almost 160,000 electoral witnesses will ensure the transparency of the process.
The National Registry accredited 158,744 electoral witnesses on behalf of the two campaigns, that of Gustavo Petro and that of Rodolfo Hernández.
The Historical Pact accredited 83,209 witnesses and the League of Anticorruption Governors, 75,535.
Inés Santaeulalia12:47
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Gustavo Petro or Rodolfo Hernández, a president to sew a country
Colombians arrive this Sunday exhausted and stunned.
The strangest campaign that is remembered in the country has left a feeling of unreality.
Until the votes are counted this afternoon, certainties do not exist.
Gustavo Petro and Rodolfo Hernández, two unprecedented presidential candidates for a country always managed by the conservative elite, face each other at the polls after a battle that the polls placed in a technical tie.
Petro faces what will surely be his last chance.
The leader around whom the Colombian left has coalesced has never been so close to the presidency.
He managed to pass as the winner to the second round with a resounding 40% of the votes three weeks ago.
A large majority, but insufficient to win.
Analysts wondered if that was the ceiling for the Petro.
Increasing that percentage has cost him his life.
Petro thought he would face what he has been fighting against all his political life: Uribism, the traditional parties, the political elite, the establishment.
But all that, wrapped up in this campaign in the figure of Fico Gutiérrez, was already defeated.
Petro fought with ghosts.
60% of the country voted for a change in first and,
those who do not want Petro (and there are many) chose the foul-mouthed and disruptive Rodolfo Hernández as their Trojan horse.
A Trumpist-style candidate who quietly received enough vote capital to put up a fight this Sunday.
Read the full story here
Lucia Franco12:19
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Claudia López: "Everything is ready. Go out and vote calmly"
Mayor Claudia López gave a piece of calm at this time to go out to vote. "We started election day by setting up a District Unified Command Post where we will be monitoring how the logistics and security of the 901 polling stations are progressing. Everything is ready. Come out." to vote calmly," he says.
Lucia Franco12:14
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In an hour the polls open
Good morning, I'm Lucía Franco, a journalist for EL PAÍS in Colombia.
Today I will bring all the information live and direct from the second round of the presidential elections between Gustavo Petro and Rodolfo Hernández.
There is an hour left before the polls open and Colombians choose their next president.
Lucia Franco12:06
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Francia Márquez asks the Colombian territories to vote.
The candidate for vice president, Francia Márquez, has asked the regions and peoples of Colombia to vote for the Historic Pact tonight.
To Cauca, to Buenaventura, to Boyacá, to Tolima, to Santander.
In the last hours of the campaign, Márquez asks for the support of the territories and encourages Colombians to place their trust in the candidacy that he leads together with Gustavo Petro to "live tasty", one of his most recognized campaign slogans.
Inés Santaeulalia03:19
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Rodolfo Hernández closed the campaign visiting his mother
The 77-year-old builder was not seen at public events on the eve of the second presidential round.
He was not at Casa Nariño, his campaign headquarters, nor did he attend a meeting of young people where his formula, Marelen Castillo, was virtually present.
Instead, he released a video with his mother, Cecilia Suárez, who has become a celebrity in the campaign.
The former mayor inherits her angry and explosive character.
At the beginning of the electoral contest, when Hernández was not scoring well in the polls, she told him not to get involved in the campaign.
"Politics is harsh and brave. It's already involved, see how it comes out," she says in the video.
Hernández also published advertising pieces through his social networks.
One speaking to the Bogota voters to whom he told them that he was committed to continuing with the design of the Metro for the city;
another affirming that he is neither of the right nor of the left and presenting himself as an ordinary citizen although in reality Hernández is a millionaire whose fortune amounts to 100 million dollars.
"Let all citizens make their decision if they want one more politician or a man like you who wants to end corruption," he said.
Catalina Oquendo02:19
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Analysis of Jorge Galindo:
Who does not believe in the Colombian elections
Colombia managed to drive away the specter of massive electoral fraud in the first round of its presidential elections.
He did so despite the fact that he was encouraged by both the far left and the right, including two former presidents who cast doubt on the institutions in charge.
But on the 29th they voted and on the 30th the country did not burn.
The candidates accepted the result, those who went to the next round focused on their campaign, and those who did not, on licking their wounds and spreading their support.
However, as the second round Sunday approaches, the fears have returned.
The technical tie in which the polls closed last Saturday, according to which it will be one, two or three million undecided who will end up deciding the election, favors the focus on the margin.
A question inevitably derived from this fact floats in the air: what will happen if the result is very close?
Regardless of what the leaders say, will there be broad layers of the population that do not accept the defeat of their rival?
Read here the complete analysis of Jorge Galindo
Juan Miguel Hernandez01:53
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Petro closes its campaign with a ritual in the Sierra Nevada
Gustavo Petro has made this Saturday as the last campaign act a trip to the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, in the extreme north of Colombia, where he had lunch with Arhuaco indigenous people.
The mamos, who are the leaders and elders of these communities, performed a ritual for him in which they gave him a blessing and purified him.
“I was filled with ancestral energies,” wrote the left-wing candidate at the end of the day, who is leading an environmental speech to face climate change that contrasts with that of his rival in the second round this Sunday, Rodolfo Hernández, a businessman. property more associated with cement.
"They baptized me as the President of the Heart of the World," wrote the former mayor of Bogotá.
That last campaign act reminded former president Juan Manuel Santos (2010-2018), who in his first symbolic act, the same day of his inauguration, traveled to the mamos to celebrate a ritual and ward off evil spirits.
As Santos often recalls, the indigenous people, upon giving him the blessing to assume the presidency, asked him to seek peace and take care of mother earth.
Santiago Torrado01:19
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Egan Bernal gives his support to Rodolfo Hernández
The cyclist has been the protagonist of the Colombian electoral campaign, always against the leader of the left, Gustavo Petro.
In the first round he gave his support to Fico Gutiérrez, the right-wing candidate who did not make it to the second round, and this Saturday he revealed his vote tomorrow for Hernández.
A few days ago, the champion had criticized the former mayor of Bucaramanga for his criticism of Gutiérrez ("this is not a president, and we all know it," he said), but at the last minute he has decided to change his opinion.
Ines Santaeulalia24:42
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Energy transition and tax reform, economic flags of Gustavo Petro
Gustavo Petro has promised profound changes in the Colombian economic model during the long campaign that comes to an end this Sunday.
The one who would be the first left-wing president in the country's history, if elected, proposes structural reforms to correct inequalities and seeks more environmentally friendly growth.
His ideas contemplate a tax reform that ends unnecessary exemptions and public spending to meet social needs that contrasts with the austerity proclaimed by Rodolfo Hernández, his rival in the second round.
The energy transition to face the climate change emergency, which includes a proposal to stop oil exploration, has been one of its main flags.
“This implies moving towards a productive economy based on respect for nature, leaving behind the exclusive dependence on the extractivist model and democratizing the use of clean energy to generate national capacities that allow us to face the effects of climate change and thereby contribute to overcoming the global environmental crisis that puts the life and survival of the human species at stake”, reads its government program.
Accelerating this transition to cleaner energy comes up against the challenge of finding sources of public resources to replace mining-energy.
For that Petro has mentioned, among others,
Read here the economic proposals of Gustavo Petro
Juan Miguel Hernández Jun 18, 2022 - 22:34 UTC
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Vitalologic, the judicial nightmare of Rodolfo Hernández
The case that has Rodolfo Hernández at the gates of a trial for improper interest in entering into contracts began at the end of June and beginning of July 2016 in his apartment, a
penthouse
located in the Cabecera neighborhood of Bucaramanga, which he used to use as his office when he was mayor of that city.
The manager of the Bucaramanga Cleaning Company, José Manuel Barrera Arias, arrived at the green and red building, which is now guarded by the Police because Hernández claims to be in danger, according to the indictment of the Prosecutor's Office, in the possession of this daily.
There, according to the Prosecutor's Office, which accuses Rodolfo Hernández as the determiner, the then mayor "through an order, sows that criminal idea in the manager of the EMAB."
The "criminal idea" to which the Prosecutor's Office refers was that they hand over a consulting contract for 344 million pesos to a chemical engineer.
That man whom Rodolfo Hernández called "the skull" would be key to directing a million-dollar garbage transformation contract and that his son, Luis Carlos Hernández Oliveros, would collect a million-dollar commission.
“I put people to speak directly with my dad.
He had them hire the old man (which he attributes in reference to Jorge Alarcón).
I'm not here to put money on anything," wrote Luis Carlos in a chat sent to Trujillo and that is in the possession of the Attorney General's Office.
These are the details of the case that is known in the media as Vitalogic and that arouses the anger of the candidate.
Read the full report here and see the commission document signed by the candidate's son
Catalina Oquendo Jun 18, 2022 - 22:02 UTC
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More than 94,000 police officers for election day
The general director of the Police, General Jorge Luis Vargas, said that the institution is ready "to guarantee the safety of the citizens who are going to vote" this Sunday.
There will be 94,000 agents deployed throughout the country, in addition to 4,800 new patrolmen who have just graduated.
Vargas added that there will be a special work in cybersecurity, with two computer forensic laboratories and 63 cyber police officers with the support of agencies such as Interpol, the FBI, the DEA, Europol and Ameripol.
Of the bulk of the police officers, 2,800 will be specifically focused on electoral crimes, such as vote buying or voter corruption, among others.
Catalina Oquendo Jun 18, 2022 - 21:28 UTC
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Gustavo Petro's message to Colombians: "This election is about choosing whether we want to continue going backwards or forward"
One day before the closest presidential elections in history, the presidential candidate of the Historical Pact, Gustavo Petro, sent a message to all Colombians.
En un video, publicado en su cuenta de Twitter, Petro invitó a los ciudadanos a votar y afirmó que la decisión del domingo “definirá nuestro futuro y el de nuestras familias”. “Esta elección no se trata de elegir entre el apellido Petro o Hernández. Se trata de algo mucho más trascendental, se trata de la Colombia que queremos. Si queremos seguir retrocediendo o avanzar. Seguir en el pasado, en la desigualdad de las mujeres o avanzar juntos y juntas hacia sus derechos”, manifestó el candidato.
Petro reiteró que no es cuestión de elegir simplemente entre dos personas, sino entre dos proyectos políticos “Te repito: no se trata del triunfo de Hernández o de Petro, se trata de un cambio cierto y real hacia una Colombia donde triunfe la vida”, concluyó.
Juan Miguel Hernández18 Jun 2022 - 21:21 UTC
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Entrevista con Francia Márquez: “Nos tocará aceptar el resultado que salga, así no nos guste”
Francia Márquez está a dos días de saber si será la primera vicepresidente afrocolombiana de Colombia. “Tengo mucha ansiedad, cosquillas en el estómago”, cuenta a EL PAÍS en una casa al sur de Cali, una ciudad al suroccidente de Colombia que votó mayoritariamente por ella y por el candidato a la Presidencia Gustavo Petro en la primera vuelta. Márquez ha sido el gran fenómeno electoral en esta campaña después de obtener la tercera mayor votación en las primarias de marzo, por encima de políticos tradicionales. Ahora está cerca de alcanzar el poder en un país liderado históricamente por las élites, donde nunca ha gobernado una mujer como ella: madre soltera, negra, feminista, ambientalista y activista de un municipio minero muy pobre en el Pacífico colombiano.
Márquez (Suárez, Cauca, de 40 años) vive rodeada de asesores de campaña y guardias de seguridad. Antes de llegar al lugar de la entrevista, todos llegan a vigilar el lugar en varias camionetas de la policía. Ella, que fue desplazada de su pueblo hace unos años por el conflicto armado y es víctima de amenazas, ha arriesgado su vida para llegar a este momento.
P. Usted no aparece en ninguno de los videos que filtró la prensa sobre la campaña de Petro. ¿Qué opina de lo que ocurría allí?
R. Primero, no vi en ninguno de esos videos que mi fórmula presidencial expresara algo que fuera indebido o incorrecto. Segundo, sí había unas personas que son de la política tradicional con las que yo misma he tenido discusiones muy fuertes, como con [el senador] Roy Barreras. Nosotros dos no hemos tenido buena empatía en esta campaña, por razones obvias. Pero de eso se trata, él está aquí y estamos construyendo juntos, y enfrentando lo que hay que enfrentar. Y pues todas las campañas hacen eso. La razón por la que no estoy ahí es porque mi campaña es diferente, y lo he hecho diferente, y me he esforzado porque tenga una coherencia entre lo que decimos y lo que hacemos.
Lea acá la entrevista completa de Camila Osorio
Juan Miguel Hernández18 Jun 2022 - 20:58 UTC
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Mockus: “Petro y Francia Márquez comprenden los desafíos más urgentes de Colombia”
Antanas Mockus ha reiterado su respaldo a Gustavo Petro y Francia Márquez en una carta pública en vísperas de la segunda vuelta presidencial de este domingo, por considerar que “comprenden los desafíos más urgentes de Colombia”, entre los que incluye el calentamiento global, la escasez de recursos naturales, la desigualdad, las discriminaciones y la violencia.
“Nunca fui lo que se llama un hombre de izquierda, ni un hombre de derecha; valoro a las personas a partir de su consistencia y honestidad y no por su posición en una juego de polarización”, escribe el que fuera alcalde de Bogotá –como el propio Petro– e impulsor de la cultura ciudadana. Mockus también fue candidato presidencial en 2010 y llegó al Senado en 2018 con una de las mayores votaciones históricas para un congresista.
“Todos los candidatos se declaran en contra de la corrupción y se dividen en dos categorías: los que nunca tuvieron que responder a acusaciones de corrupción, y los que están imputados por corrupción, activa o pasiva. El candidato [Rodolfo] Hernández hace parte de la segunda categoría”, señala Mockus. “En consecuencia, el proyecto real del candidato Hernández, es que se mantengan en el poder las mismas élites que gobiernan el país desde hace décadas", añade sobre el otro finalista de los comicios de este domingo.
“Los colombianos hemos visto a Petro luchando contra la corrupción, no repitiendo slogans que se olvidan una vez pasan las elecciones, sino desde una lucha diaria, en la cual ha demostrado su extraordinaria capacidad”, valora Mockus, quien convive con el Parkinson desde hace más de una década y ha limitado sus apariciones públicas. “Con Petro, Colombia será próspera. Seguirá siendo un país de economía de mercado y libertad. La libertad de emprender será respetada, promovida y enmarcada en la búsqueda del bien común”.
Santiago Torrado18 Jun 2022 - 20:22 UTC
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Columna de Fernando Carrillo: Unir el espejo roto
Pocas veces en la historia de la nación se ha vivido una campaña presidencial más marcada por la guerra sucia, como la que terminará el próximo 19 de junio con la escogencia entre Gustavo Petro y Rodolfo Hernández. La pregunta obligatoria es qué país gobernará el ungido por el electorado y en qué estado de salud amanecerá la democracia, después de tanto odio destilado a través de las redes sociales por los seguidores enardecidos de uno y otro bando y, lo que es peor, por los propios candidatos. Las últimas encuestas muestran que los comicios se decidirán por un estrecho margen, lo que supone un escenario de mayor crispación ante la eventual aceptación de los resultados por los seguidores del perdedor, dada la escasa credibilidad de la Registraduría, una autoridad electoral que ha estado en el ojo del huracán a lo largo del calendario electoral.
Un lenguaje tan bajo y agresivo no se escuchaba desde los años de la época de La Violencia, que se inició en 1948 con el magnicidio del caudillo Jorge Eliécer Gaitán y que dejó a lo largo de los años un saldo de más de 300.000 muertos. Una muestra más del declive y la degradación democrática agravada por la debilidad del Estado, la incapacidad del Gobierno, la irrelevancia del Congreso, la cooptación de los organismos de control y el ataque a una sociedad civil diezmada por la reconcentración del poder en cabeza del Jefe del ejecutivo.
Lea acá la columna completa
Juan Miguel Hernández18 Jun 2022 - 20:16 UTC
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Campaña de Gustavo Petro le solicita al Consejo de Estado que investigue por desacato al registrador
El presidente del Partido Polo Democrático Alternativo, Alexander López Maya, le solicitó al Consejo de Estado que investigue por desacato al registrador Alexander Vega.
La razón de la petición de López Maya, senador electo del Pacto Histórico, es que la Registraduría no ha cumplido con un requerimiento previo del consejo de Estado que le ordenaba que los software del escrutinio fueran de propiedad de Estado colombiano para que los pudiera administrar sin la intermediación de una empresa privada. De acuerdo con la solicitud de Maya, la Registraduría no ha cumplido esa orden y por eso podría incurrir en desacato.
El punto cinco del documento resume bien los argumentos de la solicitud: "Siendo una condición exigible por el Consejo de Estado la adquisición de un software para la realización del escrutinio, se evidencia que esta labor es desarrollada con tres (3) software así: Un (1) software desarrollado por la empresa ASD en la ciudad de Bogotá y de licenciamiento privativo, Un (1) software desarrollado por la empresa TPS en la ciudad de Barranquilla y de licenciamiento privativo y un (1) software de consolidación nacional desarrollado por la empresa Indra en Bogotá y que fue adquirido este último para el estado colombiano pero depende totalmente de esta en sus mantenimientos, actualización y desarrollo. Siendo así no es concluyente que se haya cumplido con el requerimiento del Consejo de Estado"
Juan Miguel Hernández18 Jun 2022 - 20:03 UTC
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Gustavo Petro: "Fraud is defeated by flooding the ballot boxes with votes for change"
The candidate Gustavo Petro made a call on his Twitter account to defeat "fraud by flooding the ballot boxes with votes for change."
Petro also referred to women and youth, two key sectors to obtain victory against Rodolfo Hernández: "Women and youth now have the floor. If they go out in crowds there will be no fraud. It is time for Hope, Don't miss out. It's time for victory."
Juan Miguel Hernández Jun 18, 2022 - 19:31 UTC
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