Antioquia governor: FARC dissidents allegedly coercing voters

The governor of Antioquia, Colombia, has raised serious concerns about alleged electoral coercion targeting residents in the northern municipalities of Angostura and Campamento. Governor Andrés Julián Rendón claims that the 36th front, a dissident faction of the FARC, is pressuring inhabitants to vote in a predetermined manner for the upcoming presidential runoff election.

Rendón stated that these groups are holding meetings and explicitly threatening people to alter the election results from the first round. This alleged intimidation tactic comes as the region has previously been flagged for electoral risks. Antioquia, particularly its northern sub-region, has been identified as an area with significant operational presence of illegal armed structures, including FARC dissidents, the 'Clan del Golfo,' and the ELN.

Despite multiple electoral alerts issued by the Ombudsman's Office and the Electoral Observation Mission (MOE) for the March legislative and first presidential round, the election day in the sub-region reportedly proceeded normally. However, with the second round of presidential elections approaching on June 21, the governor's denunciation highlights ongoing vulnerabilities in ensuring free and fair voting conditions.

Governor Rendón pointed out that the ruling party won in only 15 out of Antioquia's 125 municipalities, and several of these territories are known to have connections to criminal revenues and the presence of organized armed groups. He has formally requested increased operational deployment of security forces as part of the "Plan Democracia" to safeguard the integrity of the upcoming elections.