If you want to exercise your right to vote, but you don’t know very well how to vote for presidentwe explain it to you easily and quickly.
In Colombia, many of the most important public positions are popularly elected, such as that of Republic President, municipal mayors and governors. Although in the Political Constitution of Colombia (1991) reads that voting is a citizen’s right and duty, in our country it is not mandatory to vote, so there is electoral abstentionism.
We explain how to vote for president in Colombia
In Colombia, citizens over 18 years of age can vote, however, You must register your ID in advance at the polling station you plan to attend on election dayaccording to the dates reported by the National Registry of Civil Status.
Although the difference is merely grammatical, it is worth explaining. Recount means «action and effect of retelling something», while recount is a created but well-formed word. According to the Twitter account @RAEinforma, in America they are used as synonyms.
You should keep in mind that there may be two rounds of elections if after counting the votes none of the candidates obtains more than half of the votes; in this case, the second round will be between the first and second candidates, according to the number of votes obtained.
“The President of the Republic will be elected for a period of four years, by half plus one of the votes that, secretly and directly, are deposited by the citizens on the date and with the formalities determined by law. If no candidate obtains said majority, a new vote will be held three weeks later, in which only the two candidates who obtained the highest number of votes will participate. The person who obtains the highest number of votes shall be declared President.”
It reads in article 190 of the Political Constitution of Colombia from 1991.
How to vote in the 2022 elections for the presidency?
As reported by the National Registry of Civil Status of Colombia on its website, on Saturday, May 29, 2021, the process of registering identification cards for the elections to be held in 2022 began, including those for the president of the republic.
During the first semester of 2022, the elections for the positions of Presidency and Vice Presidency of Colombia for the period 2022 – 2026 are held. The first round is held on May 29, 2022 and the second round on June 19, if necessary.
How many candidates are there for the presidency?
We have eight candidates; Here we share their profiles…
Gustavo Petro
He is an economist from the Externado University and has a specialization in administration from the Higher School of Public Administration. He has been diplomatic attaché, senator, representative to the Chamber and mayor of Bogotá from 2012 to 2015.
He was born in Ciénaga de Oro (Córdoba) and belongs to the Historical Pact; her vice-presidential formula is Francia Márquez, an internationally awarded social and environmental leader, who has been criticized by celebrities such as Marbelle.
Rodolfo Hernandez
This civil engineer from the National University was born in Piedecuesta, Santander, and founded the construction company HG (Hernández Gómez y Cía. Ltda.) together with the merchants Guillermo Gómez Serrano and Abelardo Serrano. He was mayor of Bucaramanga from 2016 to 2019. His vice-presidential formula is Marelen Castillo and he was launched by the League of Anticorruption Governors movement.
Ingrid Betancourt
This Bogotá native studied political science at the Institute of Political Studies in Paris (France) and is a specialist in foreign trade and international relations. She was a representative to the Chamber, senator and advisor to the Ministries of Finance and Commerce. She is seeking the presidency for the Oxygen Green Party and her vice president would be José Luis Esparza.
Sergio Fajardo
Born in Medellín, he is a mathematician from the Universidad de Los Andes with a master’s and doctorate in mathematics from the University of Wisconsin, USA; he is also an academic researcher. He was mayor of Medellín for the period 2004-2007 and governor of Antioquia in 2011. In 2018 he was a presidential candidate and in 2010 Antanas Mockus vice-presidential candidate. He was launched for the presidency by the Esperanza Center Coalition and Luis Gilberto Murillo is his vice-presidential formula.
Federico Gutierrez
He was also born in Medellín, he is a civil engineer, specialist in senior management from the University of Medellín, and in political science from the Universidad Pontificia Bolivariana (UPB). He worked as a consultant at HGI Consultores and as an engineer at Vifasa. He was mayor of his city from 2016 to 2019 and a city councilman for eight years. Along with Rodrigo Lara Sánchez, he is the candidate of the Team for Colombia Coalition.
John Milton Rodriguez
He was born in Cali, is an industrial engineer from the Universidad Autónoma de Occidente and has an honorary doctorate in Family Psychology from the Amazing Grace University in the USA. He has worked in Castilla Riopaila, Mayagüez and Grupo Lloreda, and has been a Christian pastor since 1995. He has also been senator of the Colombia Justa Libres party; He is a candidate for this party together with Sandra de las Lajas Torres for the vice presidency.
Enrique Gomez
He is a Bogota lawyer from Sergio Arboleda University. He was a professor at CESA, member of the Colombian Association of Insurance Law (Acoldese), legal director of the Conciliation and Arbitration Center of the Colombian Society of Engineers and arbitrator and secretary of this institution. He is a candidate for the National Salvation Movement and his vice-presidential ticket is Carlos Cuartas.
Luis Perez
He is an industrial engineer from the National University born in Cañasgordas, Antioquia. He has a Master’s degree in Mathematics from that university and another in arts from the University of Michigan (USA). He was mayor of Medellín from 2001 to 2004, governor of Antioquia from 2016 to 2020, and rector of the University of Antioquia. He was also a manager at Kent Industries and a research assistant at the University of Michigan. He was presented by the Colombia Think Big Movement together with Ceferino Mosquera.
Entities in charge of the elections
Finally, it should be clarified in the hands of which institutions are the elections in our country:
- Attorney General’s Office
- Ombudsman
- District and Municipal Personerías
He is still very aware of the elections in our country and make an informed decision. Write what you think in the comments of this note, and share it on your social networks!