Over 2,000 'criminal candidates' banned from elections

[gbscar]

Over 2,000 'criminal candidates' banned from elections
Tuesday, 16 August 2011 16:06
Travis Mannon

More than 2,200 candidates have been banned from the October elections for having criminal records, according to Interior Minister German Vargas Lleras.

Colombian media reported that the 131,190 background checks were conducted "in record time" since Vargas Lleras announced the beginning of the process to weed out candidates with criminal records on July 7.

One thousand candidates had their party endorsements revoked and another 1,223 candidates were found ineligible for endorsements. Vargas Lleras said he will ask the parties to publicise the candidates names to help ensure they stay out of the election.

The interior minister also expressed concerns about candidates without party affiliations who got on the ballots through signatures instead of an official endorsement. Because the political parties facilitated the removal process, these candidates may have slipped through the cracks.

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http://colombiareports.com/colombia-news/news/18374-2223-criminal-candidates-banned-from-elections.html