2023-10-31 07:01:00
Sunday’s regional elections left more than one person surprised. This is not only due to the increase of almost 850,000 voters and the defeat suffered by President Gustavo Petro’s project, but also to a series of curious, controversial and unpublished events that were recorded as a result of the participation of 23 million Colombians in the elections. urns.
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The country changed its political map in the main capital cities and witnessed elections in which an unprecedented number of political parties participated, 36 in total. And in the results there were events that attracted attention such as the election of the Russian Mikhail Krasnov as mayor of Tunja and the first victory of a candidate from the Democratic Center in Antioquia, Andrés Julián Rendón.
There were also unfortunate events that marred the election day, such as the sabotage that forced the postponement of voting in the municipalities of Putumayo and Nariño, as well as the burning of the headquarters of the Registry in Gamarra, Cesar, in which Duperly Arévalo, an official of the entity, died. .
These are 10 of the most striking events that this election day left in the country:
1. There were several historic votes
Regarding the votes, it was striking that new mayors of the capital cities achieved historical marks (in numerical terms, not percentages). This was the case of Carlos Fernando Galán in Bogotá (1,497,596 votes), Federico Gutiérrez in Medellín (689,519 votes), Alejandro Éder in Cali (315,599 votes) and Alejandro Char in Barranquilla (415,635).
Another coincidence between these mayors of elected capitals is that the four of them have publicly turned the tables on Petro, distancing themselves from him and opposing his way of governing, which initially translates into possible disagreements with which the president will deal next year. remainder of his term.
2. The number of voters increased
In citizen participation there was a contrast, since the number of voters increased, but so did abstention. According to the Registrar’s Office, 23.03 million people voted and in 2019 22.1 million did so. But, the increase was only numerical, since in percentage terms, in 2023, 59.2% of those eligible to vote participated and in 2019, 60.5% did so. Regarding abstention, four years ago it was 39.4% (14.4 million) and in 2023 an abstention of 40.7% (15.8 million) was recorded.
3. Match saturation
These elections were unprecedented in terms of the number of parties that participated, since more than 30 communities provided endorsements. This abundance of legal entities led to 251 candidates registering for governorships (32 are elected), 3,894 for assemblies (418 are elected), 6,175 for mayors (1,102 are elected) and 106,429 for councils (12,072 are elected).
4. Debutants stomped
And speaking of the new parties that entered the arena, a notable event was the victorious debut of some political figures who have their own community. This is the case of Gutiérrez’s Creos party, which won the elections in Medellín, and achieved 5 seats in the Assembly of Antioquia and 7 in the Council of the capital of Antioquia.
The New Liberalism, of the brothers Juan Manuel and Carlos Fernando Galán, was also victorious; Roy Barreras’ Peace Force; En Marcha, by Juan Fernando Cristo, among others.
5. 23 alliances to governorates
This abundance of political parties also translated into a greater number of coalition candidates. For example, 23 candidates registered for the governorships and received the endorsement of two or more communities.
6. Elections that resonated
In addition to the Russian mayor in Tunja, there were other elections that gave something to talk about. That of Carolina Córdoba Curi, elected as governor of Chocó, who defeated the Sánchez Montes de Oca clan and the former archer Leandro Castellanos, elected councilor of Bogotá. In Arauca, Juan Alfredo Qüenza was elected mayor, who proposed giving “lead” to marijuana users.
7. The left deflated
There was also a thunderous noise on the left and particularly in the Historical Pact. This community, led by the president, did not take advantage of the success at the polls that it had in the 2022 legislative and presidential elections, and did not consolidate in the main cities and departments of the country.
8. Petro lost in his fort
The president defended that he gained ground in 7 departments, but the truth is that his greatest defeat occurred in Bogotá, his stronghold. Despite his speeches defending progressivism, his candidate, Gustavo Bolívar, was third with 571,591 votes. Bolívar recognized that it was a “punishment vote” and with it Petro’s plan to stop the subway to make it underground sank.
9. The blank vote was large
In the Valley (459,031), Cundinamarca (160,936) and Barranquilla (58,865) the ‘white’ was a solid alternative. But there were fewer (983,677) than in 2019 (1,078,542). In Maicao, La Guajira, he won (20,322) promoted by former drug trafficker Santander Lopesierra.
10. Fewer demonstrations
Despite the violent actions that were recorded, the Public Force reported that there were fewer public demonstrations (7) compared to 2019 (36), and attempted demonstrations decreased, this year they were 118 and 141 in 2019.
Parenthesis: “lost” votes were reduced
A report from the Bioideas firm detailed that the votes considered “lost” for the candidates (blank, unmarked or annulled) were reduced in this year’s elections in Antioquia compared to the 2019 regional elections, in the cases of Governorate (4% less), Assembly (6% less) and Council (7% less).
“Overall there was less ‘lost’ voting. In this case, a party like Creo was decisive, which invited people to mark because of its logo and its candidates who, although they were not well known, were supported by a strong candidate like Federico Gutiérrez. The Historical Pact also took advantage of the recognition of Gustavo Petro in 2022. These types of situations affect the ‘lost’ vote,” explained Diego Corrales, director of Bioideas.
Particularly regarding null votes, the Registry detailed that this year 402,765 (1.74%) were counted, which represented a decrease compared to the 403,585 (1.81%) four years ago and the 432,247 (2 .15%) of the 2015 regional elections.
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