21 Colombian Lawmakers Prevented from Taking Office
Source: Telesur
21 Colombian Lawmakers Prevented from Taking Office
Published 2 January 2016 (4 hours 14 minutes ago)
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Twenty-one elected representatives for the Department Assembly of Valle del Cauca were temporarily prevented from taking their posts on Jan. 2 after Colombia's electoral authority withheld declaring them official winners until complaints regarding the election are resolved.
The 21 lawmakers were elected during regional elections in Colombia on Oct. 25, 2015. However, a candidate from the Green Party submitted a challenge to the National Electoral Council in the days following the vote, alleging irregularities in the municipality of Buga.
Several people were arrested throughout Colombia during election day on charges of alleged vote buying. Since receiving the complaint the National Electoral Council, known as the CNE, has been unable to resolve the complaint.
“More than two months have passed since elections were held and the Valle (del Cauca) still does not have an Assembly,” Sentator Carlos Fernando Motoa told Semana magazine.
Read more: http://www.telesurtv.net/english/news/21-Colombian-Lawmakers-Prevented-from-Taking-Office-20160102-0017.html