Colombia goes to the polls on Sunday to elect a new Congress and select presidential candidates, with the country on high alert for potential political violence and electoral irregularities.
Approximately 41.2 million eligible voters will choose from more than 3,000 candidates contesting 102 Senate seats and 182 House seats.
The legislative elections will also determine the presidential nominees representing the left, centre-left, and right-wing coalitions.
The winners will then compete in the presidential race, with the first round of voting scheduled for May 31.
Before polling stations opened at 8:00 a.m. local time, Defence Minister Pedro Sánchez claimed that a group of at least 2,400 “illegal people allegedly headed for vote” had been detected.
He described the situation as “a clear case of crime being committed.”
President Gustavo Petro echoed the concern, labelling the incident a “large-scale fraud” and an “avalanche of illegal voting.”
In a post on X, he stated, "Sixty buses have been detained, and the company responsible for bringing massive numbers of voters from across the border must be investigated immediately.”
The elections are taking place against the backdrop of a recent thaw in relations between President Petro and US President Donald Trump.
Petro was invited to the White House last month, where both leaders described their meeting as productive despite acknowledging ongoing tensions.
Prior to the meeting, Trump had publicly called Petro a “sick man” and an “illegal drug leader", prompting Petro to respond in similarly hostile terms.
The two leaders traded barbs for months, with Petro condemning US attacks on boats in the Caribbean Sea and Pacific Ocean as “intentional murder” and recently describing US actions in Venezuela as "kidnapping".
Also read: Colombian President to meet Trump next week
Follow us
