Elections Colombia 2022 | Spain: high turnout and “normality” in voting in Madrid

The day of voting for the presidential elections of Colombia in Madrid it is developing under “normal” conditions and with a high “influx” of citizens who, starting at eight in the morning, are going to fill the ballot boxes to decide the political future of their country.

In the capital, the elections, where citizens must choose between the leftist Gustavo Petro and the populist Rodolfo Hernandezare taking place in the Glass Pavilion of the Casa de Campo, where nearly 75,000 people are called to vote, out of a total of 160,000 Colombians with the right to vote in Spain.

LOOK: Hernández vs Petro: Who is winning in Colombia according to the latest survey by Guarumo and EcoAnalítica for El Tiempo?

The day began at eight in the morning (6:00 GMT) with the “notes” of the Colombian national anthem, the opening of the tables and the presence of the jurors (members of the electoral table), electoral witnesses (proxies), delegates and international observers from the Organization of American States (OAS), in charge of ensuring compliance with the democratic order of the election, the Colombian consul in Madrid, Rodrigo Pinzón, told Efe.

To be part of the 100 polling stations deployed, the jurors enter a link managed by the website of the Colombian Consulate in Madrid where, in collaboration with the National Registry, they register to actively participate in the country’s elections in Spain.

Colombian citizens residing in Spain exercise their right to vote during election day at the Casa de Campo Convention Center in Madrid. (EFE/Luca Piergiovanni).

LOOK: The confession of Nany Pardo, former adviser to Petro, about payments in the presidential campaign in Colombia

According to the consul, there are currently 400 polling station members -four people for each counter- who, voluntarily, “give a day of their work” and come on a Sunday to “make a homeland and work for the democracy of our country”.

When election day ends, each polling station counts the votes, captures the results in minutes and transmits them to the National Registry, which informs “the nationals” and the country of the counts.

The next day, the Colombian consulate in Madrid It sends, by plane and through a security company, all the physical votes to the country so that the authorities can verify the results.

Colombian citizens residing in Spain exercise their right to vote. (EFE/Luca Piergiovanni).

VOTERS PRAISE THE ORGANIZATION OF THE VOTING

The “good” organization of election day is, perhaps, one of the few coincidences in voters from the left or right, like Dagoberto, a resident of Spain for 17 years who comes to the Casa de Campo because of the “concern” he feels for your country.

“We really need a change, because what we have seen before has been worrying, a lot of poverty, a lot of insecurity and from here, although we do not have very good news, we are learning from relatives who are in Colombia,” explains to Eph.

Dressed in a Deportivo Cali shirt and in a more jovial atmosphere, surrounded by family and friends wearing the Colombian national team shirt, Enrique praises the agility of the election and admits to Efe that he is a “safe voter”, while , since he turned 18, has “always” gone to the polls to decide the political future of his country.

“(Voting) is paramount because, if we don’t vote, then the other will win. We have to have the right to vote, it is a priority”, reflects the voter, “Colombian to die” with Spanish nationality.

Source: Elcomercio