- The voting center in the Colombian capital is located at the “Palermo” Technical College, in the Teusaquillo neighborhood | Main photo: CNE
Venezuelans living in Bogotá went to the polling station set up in the Colombian capital on Sunday, July 28, for the presidential elections, hoping for “a change of government.”
“We hope that the law is complied with, that the mandate of the citizens is complied with and that democracy is complied with,” Álvaro Carranque, one of the first Venezuelans to cast his vote in Bogotá, told the EFE news agency.
Carranque, who arrived in Colombia from Venezuela 14 years ago and went to vote with his wife and son, held back tears as he recounted how he fled his country and his hope of returning after Sunday’s elections, confident of the opposition’s victory at the polls.
More than 200 Venezuelans out of the 4,369 who are registered to vote in the Colombian capital voted in the early hours of the morning, according to figures provided by the leaders of the Vente Venezuela platform in Colombia.
Amidst flags, caps and horns in the colours of the Venezuelan flag, dozens of people arrived at the doors of the school, which the press was not allowed to access. Although they were unable to register to vote, they accompanied those who could.
The voting center in Bogotá is located at the Palermo Technical College, located in the Teusaquillo neighborhood. The address of this educational center is: Carrera 23, number 49-37.
How many Venezuelans can vote in Colombia?
Venezuelans residing in Colombia can exercise their right to vote at the consulates located in the cities of Bogotá, Barranquilla, Medellín, Cartagena, Cúcuta and Riohacha. Of the 2.8 million Venezuelan citizens living in the New Granada nation, only 7,012 are eligible to vote.
“We are approaching these elections as a reconciliation process. We invite everyone to participate and to reconcile, to build that Venezuela,” Mariluz Palma, head of the campaign command of Vente Venezuela, Colombia chapter, told reporters.
Palma added that there have been no incidents in Colombian territory during the elections and concluded that he will celebrate “the new independence of Venezuela.”
How is voting going abroad?
The presidential elections on Sunday, July 28 began with the participation of Venezuelans abroadDue to the time difference, the first citizens to vote were compatriots residing in Australia.
A Venezuelan addressed a few words to his fellow countrymen to encourage them to go out and vote. “Everyone go out, it’s the golden moment,” said the young man to the Venezuela Vota team, Gabriel Mijares, from Canberra.
Voting centres were subsequently gradually opened in various European countries. Some of the cities with the highest turnout were Madrid, Barcelona and Tenerife in Spain.
In this country, the 46 polling stations set up by the Venezuelan authorities opened normally this Sunday in five Spanish cities, where 24,770 voters are called to participate.
The process began at 8:00 am (local time). In this country, five voting centres were designated in Barcelona, Madrid, Tenerife, Vigo and Bilbao.
Venezuelans in the cities of Frankfurt and Berlin (Germany) began voting at 8:00 am. According to reports on social media, Venezuelans living in other European countries such as Poland and the Czech Republic came to these polling stations.
With information from EFE
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2024-07-29 00:18:17
