EU observers back Colombia vote count amid challenge to results

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BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) — A European Union mission that observed Colombia’s presidential election underscored Tuesday the transparency and efficiency of the country’s vote count process, which President Gustavo Petro has repeatedly questioned after results did not favor his preferred successor.

The independent mission deployed about 150 observers for Sunday’s runoff election, whose results show conservative outsider Abelardo de la Espriella leading by 1 percentage point, or nearly 251,000 votes, with all but a fraction of the votes counted. The mission also observed May’s first-round vote.

“We have not observed any irregularities,” mission chief Esteban González Pons, said referring to the counting process. “And as far as we have observed, Colombian legislation has been followed.”

Petro and his protégé, progressive candidate Iván Cepeda, are challenging the results. Petro also claimed fraud after Cepeda did not win last month’s election outright.

Cepeda on Sunday said his campaign would challenge the results of more than 30,000 voting stations and would not recognize results until a recount is finished. Electoral authorities are expected to complete the recount this week.

More than 26 million people voted in the runoff, setting a historic record. Of those, over 426,000 people chose a third, no-name option on the ballot that allows voters to express dislike of both candidates. About 29,000 people cast blank ballots.

The polarizing election was marked by people’s fears of a renewed internal conflict. Both candidates pitched voters widely different strategies to prevent the South American country from experiencing the nonstop merciless violence, such as car bombs, kidnappings, disappearances and forced displacements, that Colombians lived with in previous decades.

Sunday’s winner will begin a four-year term Aug. 7.

The lead-up to the runoff saw an increase in verbal attacks between the candidates in addition to accusations of fraud, vote-buying and intimidation. Petro also took issue with the software used to tally votes.

“It surprises us, and continues to surprise us, that the President of the Republic is denouncing irregularities that the candidates haven’t denounced,” González Pons told reporters after presenting the mission’s preliminary report. “It seems pointless to point this out, but he’s not a candidate.”

The mission is also observing the recount process. It will publish a final report in September.

Marta Bolívar, legal representative for the political movement of Cepeda and Petro, on Tuesday told The Associated Press that the group’s complaints relate to various aspects of the electoral process, from vote counting to voter coercion.

The movement requested a recount of the votes cast by Colombians abroad, but it was denied.

“We consider this measure unconstitutional because it is the responsibility of the National Electoral Council to conduct an international recount,” Bolívar said.

Meanwhile, de la Espriella, confident of victory, announced Tuesday that he is putting together his Cabinet. He also said he plans to add Colombia to the Trump-dubbed “Shield of the Americas,” a coalition of countries purportedly aimed at cracking down on criminal groups in Latin America.

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