Petro alleges vote count irregularities, demands recount in Colombia

Colombian President Gustavo Petro has voiced serious concerns over alleged irregularities during the vote tallying process for the presidential election's second round, demanding a comprehensive review of the results.

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Only the judges determine who is the president of Colombia. Any declaration of a triumph in the elections today is just a wish.

Petro stated that election lawyers were denied access to the vote counting center at Corferias in Bogotá. He appealed to the National Police and electoral judges to ensure their entry, emphasizing that only judges can determine the presidency. He pointed to preliminary figures from the Registrar's office suggesting neither candidate secured a decisive lead, with one candidate at 49.3% and the other at 49%. Therefore, he insisted that only the official scrutiny process could confirm the final outcome.

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Today we have evidence of a change in IP addresses of several servers of the National Registry. This means that the software was violated and others wrote data from polling stations and voting centers.

Furthermore, Petro reiterated his previous warnings about potential vulnerabilities in the technological system used by the National Registry of Civil Status. He claimed to have evidence of IP address changes on several servers used during the election, suggesting the software may have been compromised. He stated this information would be provided to the judges overseeing the count for technical verification.

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To the entire population, I ask for tranquility and moderation to achieve a thorough and well-done scrutiny that reflects the true decision of the citizenry.

In light of these allegations, Petro formally requested a complete scrutiny of all ballot boxes, a new vote count, and an investigation into the alleged compromises of the electoral system. He urged citizens to remain calm during the review process, emphasizing the need for a thorough and accurate count that reflects the public's true decision. Petro also highlighted the country's deep political polarization, calling for national dialogue to preserve the nation and peace.

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The reality shows us a country divided in half. A national agreement is necessary if we want to maintain the homeland and peace in the years to come.