In an election in which the weather always influences voter turnout, the sun appeared in Bogotá mid-morning on Sunday (19), even though there was rain in much of the Colombian coast.
As voting is not mandatory, weather conditions worry politicians, as they can determine the presence of voters for the second round of the presidential election in certain electoral strongholds. By mid-morning, there were lines to vote in the country’s main cities, such as Bogotá, Barranquilla, Medellín and Cali.
With polls indicating a technical tie between Gustavo Petro and Rodolfo Hernández, the leftist’s campaign hoped it would not rain on the coast and in the capital, where the former mayor of Bogotá, in theory, has the advantage. The populist’s was hoping for good weather in the eastern region of the country.
Julia Robledo, 58, was waiting in line at the Corferias space, one of Bogotá’s biggest polling places. “It’s a very important election to stay at home. I woke up early ready to walk and face rain,” she said. Another voter, Carlos Ortizabal, 24, said he was afraid of confusion: “Only a mass vote and a strong result will give legitimacy to this election. Or there may be chaos, protests.”
The concern with a tight result also worries international bodies. “Colombia has one of the fastest counting systems in the region. This time it will be important to wait for the results calmly and carefully. And that can take time,” said Juan Pappier of the NGO Human Rights Watch.
In the days leading up to the vote, Petro raised doubts about the electoral system, insinuating that there could be fraud. “There is no neutrality in the Registrar [autoridade eleitoral], they have a clear affinity with the other candidate. If there is a transparent result that shows my defeat, I will accept it. But it has to be transparent. And if I win, it must also be transparent,” he said in an interview with El País.
The left-wing candidate’s doubts were fueled by the leak, on Saturday, of a video with images of a simulation of the tally of votes by the Registraduría giving victory to Hernández – the body said it was just a test. This Sunday morning, at the beginning of the vote, Alexander Vega Rocha, responsible for the body, said that “institutionalism is stronger than disinformation”. “The population must vote normally, with the guarantee that the process will take place in a normal way.”
In the same vein, the current president, Iván Duque, as he left to vote, said that Colombia has “one of the most solid democracies in the hemisphere.” “I invite everyone to go out to vote without fear, without intimidation and without prejudice to choose the next president of the Republic.”
Hernández voted early in Bucaramanga, his electoral stronghold and where his campaign is based. He previously recorded a video with his mother, who said, “I didn’t want you to get into this, but since you are, I hope you win.” The candidate has no plans to go to the capital and said he will monitor the result in his committee, nicknamed Casa de Nariño, after the Colombian presidential palace.
