Colombia’s Registrar Hernan Penagos Explains his Concerns About the Elections
As Colombia’s presidential election approaches on Sunday, June 21, tensions are rising not only between candidates Abelardo de la Espriella and Ivan Cepeda and their supporters, but also among the electoral authorities responsible for overseeing the vote in which the successor to President Gustavo Petro will be chosen.
The country is on edge because, in addition to the contest between the two presidential contenders, what is at stake is a model of the State: the consolidation and continuation of the progressive concept currently governing Colombia versus the more liberal and far-right opposition model that seeks to bring the left-wing experiment to an end.
Concern Over Disinformation and Fake News
Amid this atmosphere, all kinds of strategies have emerged, including some that are ethically questionable, beginning with dangerous disinformation that could even lead to violence. This is what National Civil Registry Registrar Hernan Penagos referred to.
“I am concerned about disinformation. I am concerned about fake news. I am concerned about the way social media presents data from other years, how artificial intelligence is used to alter electoral records, and the way people lie on social media, because it is no longer even disinformation; it is pure and simple lies,” he said in an interview with Semana magazine.
He referred specifically to a video circulating on social media in which several people are seen marking a ballot, suggesting that electoral materials are already being moved around without any control and are in the hands of anyone. The images reinforce the idea of irregularities in a process that has not yet begun.
“Impossible for that to happen,” Penagos said in the same outlet. “First, because all electoral materials are currently under our custody and protected by the security forces. Second, because there is GPS tracking, and third, because, upon examining the video in detail, these are electoral cards.”
The registrar was referring to electoral cards published by the National Registry for educational purposes for political parties, campaigns, and community leaders. “Sometimes they download them [the electoral cards] and print them to conduct educational activities or whatever they wish, and these are test cards, not original ballots,” he stressed.
“So they make them appear as if they were original, and that creates a sense of concern among citizens, which I understand because ordinary citizens have no reason to know the difference,” Penagos continued in his explanation, revealing that authorities face false information every day that ultimately becomes even “irrational.”
Disinformation Can Trigger Violence
As an example of that irrationality, he cited the falsehood that circulates during election periods claiming that the pen provided by the Registry to mark votes has magical powers and can change a vote from one candidate to another. “It is irrational,” Penagos insisted. “Myths that have existed in Colombia for decades.”
He also referred to the difficult position in which the National Registry finds itself because of such claims. “I say: wonderful if any citizen wants to bring a pen, fountain pen, marker, charcoal, paint, nail polish… Whatever they want, bring it. But if we do not provide pens, imagine what a citizen will say: ‘I came to vote and there was no pen, so they do not want me to vote,’” Penagos lamented.
For Penagos, this type of disinformation is what can provoke violence among citizens. “The concern is that disinformation in Colombia today has divided society. Today it has many citizens and leaders verbally attacking one another, but tomorrow it could have citizens confronting and physically attacking each other,” he warned.
Meanwhile, within the framework of the Electoral Peace strategy led by the Office of the Inspector General, Registrar Penagos stated that while millions of Colombians exercise their right to vote, thousands of public officials are working to guarantee a transparent, secure, and auditable electoral process. “Disinformation and unfounded attacks not only affect confidence in institutions; they have consequences,” he said.
Regarding voting by Colombians abroad, which began last Monday, the senior official informed international media correspondents that the process is unfolding normally and according to the schedule established by the National Registry.
He highlighted the coordinated work with diplomatic authorities and state agencies to ensure the operation of polling stations established outside the country and to facilitate participation by Colombians residing abroad. He thanked the media for their support and emphasized their role in disseminating clear and verified information about the electoral process.