EU Observers Reject Petro Fraud Claims in Colombia Vote of 23 Million as Runoff Nears June 21
Updated
Updated · The Associated Press · Jun 2
EU Observers Reject Petro Fraud Claims in Colombia Vote of 23 Million as Runoff Nears June 21
3 articles · Updated · The Associated Press · Jun 2
Summary
EU election observers said Colombia’s Sunday presidential vote was “transparent, orderly and fluid,” rejecting President Gustavo Petro’s fraud allegations after checking random tally sheets against physical ballots and finding no inconsistencies.
23 million-plus Colombians voted, with official results putting Abelardo de la Espriella at 43.7% and Iván Cepeda at 40.9%, sending the race to a June 21 runoff.
Petro nonetheless repeated claims that 885,000 voters were registered after a March 31 deadline and that some polling tables showed unusually high turnout, but he offered no evidence.
The National Registrar’s Office said its review of 99.98% of voting tables showed only a 0.06% variation from the quick count, while judges and notaries — not the president — certify the final result.
Cepeda, Petro’s ally, had initially withheld recognition of the quick count before saying his party’s monitors found no irregularities large enough to call fraud; observers warn the dispute could inflame tensions before the runoff.