Within the adjustment of the expense that was announced in the decree to post Surveillance of the electoral organization ”, as noted in national legislation.
This is why the fact that they had taken $ 600,000 million Of the almost $ 1 billion that he had requested for this validity, he generated concerns by citizens, since this year it is characterized by the enlistment that is carried out in the face of the presidential elections of 2026 and was interpreted by some political sectors as a rematch of President Gustavo Gustavo Gustavo Petro for the process against him.
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The National Electoral Council is an autonomous and independent agency that is part of the electoral organization together with the National Registry of Civil Status and is composed of nine magistrates elected by the Congress of the Republic for a period of four years, through the figure of figure distributor
On their website they review that their mission is to ensure “Colombian democratic sustainability, through the design and implementation of efficient and timely mechanisms for surveillance, inspection and total control of the electoral activity, in relation to the actions of all The actors involved in it, as well as the protection of opposition rights ”.
CNE and PETRO – the investigation opened by the CNE to Petro.
Alexa Rochi – Presidency – Claudia Rubio – Portafolio
Important cut
If one takes into account that in the Nation General Budget project for 2025 that was submitted to the Congress, the request for resources was $ 953,716 million, the postponed item of $ 600,000 million freezes more than 60% of the validity than the National Council Electoral expected to allocate during validity.
Now, it should also be said that the CNE budget in years Previous had been $ 124,474 million by 2024 and $ 23,138 by 2025. If the increase to almost $ 1 billion that was requested, the resources for this authority had grown by 648.2%had been applied. Even so, with the new amount after the cut, the money you can spend this year is almost tripled.
To better learn the scope of this measure, Portafolio spoke with Alejandra Barrios, director of the electoral observation mission, who sent a part of tranquility regarding the elections of the other year and said that the electoral activities are included in the items ” Other transfers ”, prior concept of the General Directorate of Budget, of the Ministry of Finance.
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There is no risk
According to Barrios, the first thing to tell people is that it is not a definitive cut, but a postponement subject to the availability of future resources. However, he acknowledges that given the Complex Fiscal Panorama of the country, the budget recovery is not guaranteed.
“Since January 1, 2024, the National Electoral Council has autonomy. That means that before that date the Registry had the resources of the National Electoral Council and it was the one who was turning the resources. Here is a first point that changes and that is why the CNE now says how much money needs to operate, ”he explained.
Alejandra Barrios, director of the MOE
Courtesy – API
That said, it made it clear that the presidential elections of 2026 They are not at risk, since the resources for logistics are administered by the National Registry of Civil Status and are currently insured. Likewise, it emphasizes that having less money, what will happen is that the Council must review its activities and how many have duplicity with other electoral entities.
“What we are seeing a little more detail, seeing what the National Electoral Council presents as an argument to require a billion pesos. That there are a number of activities that today the National Registry of Civil Status by law, which corresponds to it within its functions, which within its expenses had also been put by the National Electoral Council, ”he said.
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Alejandra Barrios gave as an example of the duplicities the case of the scrutiny and the digitalization of the forms of the E-14, which are part of the electoral logistics and corresponds to the registraría, highlighting that A technical table will be formed to review this topic and that can adjust the expense.
“The same goes for the dissemination of electoral results, which the National Electoral Council also includes in its budget, despite the fact that by Constitution and by law that function corresponds to the Registry. In this technical meeting, a detailed and precise table can be developed, which gives us the assurance that the functions that really correspond to the National Electoral Council can be fulfilled properly, ”he said.
Colombian pesos
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Insured competences
Taking into account that budget autonomy seeks to guarantee The independence between the CNE and the Registry, for the MOE, the silver that was left after the postponement is sufficient for the electoral authority to take forward the responsibilities that are in charge of law.
“We are not talking about the logistics organization of the elections, that is the most expensive, we are talking about being able to make updates and the adjustments, for example, of the application of clear accounts, the installation of the electoral courts, the installation of the electoral courts Of the constituencies of peace, do everything that has to do with the audits, if they consider and monitor and control political organizations, ”he explained.
With all the above, for the electoral observation mission, the key is in the reorganization of the expense of the National Electoral Council, since the entity must define how to adjust its priorities to guarantee the fulfillment of its functions without duplicating activities that the Registry already performs.
