Colombian electoral body rejects Petro's fraud claims in presidential vote

Colombia's National Registry Office (Registraduría) has formally rejected President Gustavo Petro's allegations of fraud during the first round of the presidential elections. The electoral authority issued a statement asserting that the integrity of the electoral process was maintained through established procedures and transparency mechanisms.

Responding to Petro's claims that the electoral roll was altered shortly before the election, the Registraduría clarified that the final voter registry, comprising over 41.4 million eligible voters, was finalized and shared with political parties on April 30. Potential voter numbers per station and voting site distributions were published in resolutions on May 4 and provided to campaigns the same day. The inscription period for citizens to vote concluded on March 31.

The authority also addressed concerns regarding alleged modifications to the electoral software on May 26. It stated that no changes were made to the election systems that day. The timestamps Petro cited, the Registraduría explained, correspond to the delivery of technical information to party auditors as part of pre-election transparency exercises.

Furthermore, the Registraduría emphasized that all election-related information was made available to campaigns for their own verification and validation processes. It urged political auditors to interpret technical data rigorously to prevent erroneous conclusions or imprecise interpretations, underscoring its commitment to a fair and transparent electoral outcome.