Photo courtesy of @camilovelasco99
The Anti-corruption consultation is on this Sunday and we have 5 essential figures about the important measure to help better understand what’s at stake:
Propositions on the ballot that Colombians will vote on. The propositions range from the reduction of salary for public officials to mandatory jail terms for those convicted of corruption. The second proposition also carries a lifetime ban for convicted officials. Most of the measures, however, can be grouped under the category of “transparency” and “open governance” including an open contract and tendering process for public works, transparency in dealing with public budgets, and open financial disclosures for public officials. In addition to these, the consultation is also looking to install a three-term limit on elected officials.
This is the aim of the game for the consultation whereby anything less will result in the motion not passing. Around 4.2 million signatures have been collected by a team of nearly 45,000 volunteers but it will all come to zilch if the right number of voters don’t turn up on Sunday. The opposition to the consultation will rely on a low turnout but supporters are confident that 15,000,000 voters will turn up come Sunday. In addition to this, each proposition will need at least 6,037,879 votes to pass.
Colombia’s ranking according to Transparency International out of a total of 180 nations. The transparency watchdog has given Colombia a score of 37 out of a 100 which gives an indication of the “perceived level of public sector corruption.” The index was last calculated in 2012. In the 10 years before, the country had dropped from 57th place to their current position of 96.
Annual amount lost due to corruption in the country. Everything from the recent Odebrecht scandal to corruption within the judiciary, it’s little wonder that Colombians have listed corruption as the number one scourge within society. Speaking out against the consultation isn’t a politically savvy move in this climate. Which is probably why 84 Senators have spoken in favour and none against it. Despite this staggering number, however, the consultation faces an uphill battle to pass this weekend.
The time ballots close on Sunday. The process also applies to Colombians living abroad provided they have had their ID registered. Anyone who voted in this year’s congressional and presidential elections at a foreign consulate can also vote for the Anti-corruption Consultation.
If you have no idea where to vote, a list of polling stations can be found here: www.registraduria.gov.co. More info on the Anti-corruption consultation can be found here.
There will also be a list of events that can be found on the group’s Facebook page and Twitter handle. www.facebook.com/VenceAlCorrupto or www.twitter.com/VenceAlCorrupto
