Colombians defy border closure to vote in presidential elections

Thousands of Colombians living in Venezuela defied a government-imposed border closure to cast their votes in the presidential elections. Colombia's President Gustavo Petro had ordered the border with Venezuela shut from Saturday morning until Monday morning, aiming to restrict voting to Colombian territory. "The border with Venezuela has been closed since 6:00 a.m. The elections in Norte de Santander, La Guajira, and Arauca will be held with the Colombian citizenry in Colombia," Petro announced via X. However, many Colombians residing in Ureña, Táchira state, managed to circumvent the order. They crossed into Colombian territory, primarily heading to Cúcuta and Norte de Santander, to participate in the electoral process. Reports indicated that the border closure caused confusion and long queues at crossing points on Saturday morning. Despite the restrictions, a significant number of citizens successfully crossed into the neighboring country. The border is expected to reopen for normal transit on Monday morning.