There are no electoral officials present at the largest polling center in Choco, a state on Colombia’s Pacific coast, Blu Radio reported Sunday.
Quibdo, Choco |
According to individuals who attempted to vote at the Technological University in Quibdo, the capital of Choco, there were no jurors present, nor officials from the Inspector General’s Office or the National Registrar.
The state of Choco, located on the country’s Pacific coast, is Colombia’s most impoverished state, with a population of Afro-Colombian descent.
This is not the first time that voting irregularities have been reported in Choco.
MORE: As presidential election nears, Congress poll still disputed in west Colombia
In the more than two months since Colombia held its congressional elections, the final outcome of the races for two House of Representative seats from the country’s most impoverished state have been suspended as claims of voting irregularities are investigated.
Heading into the March 9 contest, the national Ombudsman’s Office predicted that 20% of the municipalities in the northwestern state of Choco were at extreme risk for voting violations, while the independent Mission for Electoral Observation (MOE) found a likely possibility of voter fraud in much of the state.
MORE: Red Cross assists humanitarian crisis in western Colombia
Evidence surfaced following the elections that large-scale election manipulation did indeed occur in parts of Choco, as it was believed to have occurred elsewhere in the country, as well.
While a decision is being reached, citizens in Choco still do not know who will be representing their state in the next session of Congress.
Choco has among the highest poverty rates in the county and unemployment levels are almost double the national average. Last week, almost 3,000 people were forcibly displaced by violence between illegal armed groups active in the state.
