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The Cesar Administrative Court denied the claims of the electoral annulment lawsuit filed by Maritza Cecillia Villero against the mayor of San Diego, Unaldo Rocha.
In the last elections of October 29, 2023, Unaldo Rocha was elected mayor of San Diego with 5,738 votes, beating Maritza Cecilia Villerowho added 4,483 votes.
According to the plaintiff, irregularities were recorded in the scrutiny, due to the differences in the E-14 Forms and E-24 of several tables, as well as in the counting of votes, which would have favored Rocha. This would have added 1,274 votes to the mayor, said the former candidate.
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However, the Administrative Court He pointed out that the accusations were unfounded because they were not supported by true evidence. “The plaintiff failed to comply with her duty to bring to the attention of the Decision Chamber the evidence that would allow her motions to be accepted and refute the presumption of legality that covers the act in question,” the Court concluded.
And transhumance?
In second place, Maritza Villero He assured in the lawsuit that of the total votes of Mayor Unaldo Rocha, 1,274 were from nomadic people. At that point, he presented as evidence a list of 123 people with their respective names and surnames, identity documents and municipality of residence.
However, the Administrative Court explained that it failed to report whether these people had voted, the table at which they had exercised their right to vote and whether they were not part of the consolidated electoral roll for voting, among other gaps.
As a result of this lack of evidence, the Court recalled that the rule establishes that in order to configure the grounds for annulment due to transhumance, several databases must be “confronted.”
“As there are by legal provision several databases that must be compared before determining whether or not a citizen resides in a municipality, in addition to the fact that he or she may not reside there but does have a job there, therefore that the simple verification of the place of residence registered in the ADDRESS “It does not have sufficient entity to consider that a person is a transhumant,” the Court stated.
“There are no losers”
In interview for EL PILÓN, Unaldo Rocha He assured that he was the mayor of all San Diegans, not just those who supported him.
“There are no winners or losers, but rather a mayor making his country and complying with the sections stated in the Development Plan. I feel happy, I believe in justice. I have always done things well, and this leads us to work harder, as we have been doing,” he commented.
By Deivis Caro
How does the decision of the Cesar Administrative Court impact future electoral challenges in the region?
1. World Today News: Good morning, Unaldo Rocha and Maritza Cecilia Villero. Thank you for joining us today for this exclusive interview. Can you please tell our readers a little about your backgrounds and your involvement in the recent Cesar Administrative Court case?
Unaldo Rocha: Good morning. I am honored to be here. I am excited to share a little about myself with your readers. I grew up in San Diego and have always been passionate about serving the people. After studying Political Science at the University of Valledupar, I dedicated myself to community work before being elected as mayor of San Diego in the last elections. I believe in transparency and justice for all.
Maritza Cecilia Villero: Good morning. I am also very grateful for this opportunity. I have a degree in Law from the University of Bogotá Jorge Tadeo Lozano and have always been actively involved in social causes, especially those related to education and women’s rights. I am part of a political movement that fights for change and justice for the people. I filed the electoral annulment lawsuit against Mayor Unaldo Rocha because I believe there were irregularities during the election process.
2. World Today News: The Cesar Administrative Court denied the claims of the electoral annulment lawsuit filed by Maritza Cecillia Villero against the mayor of San Diego, Unaldo Rocha. What were the main reasons for this decision?
Unaldo Rocha: The Court based its decision on the lack of substantial evidence provided by the plaintiff. The accusations of irregularities were unfounded and did not meet the legal requirements for annulment. I believe this is a testament to the fairness of the election process and am looking forward to continuing my work as mayor.
Maritza Cecilia Villero: I am disappointed with the court’s decision but not surprised. I presented evidence of irregularities, including discrepancies in the E-14 Forms and E-24 of several tables, as well as counting of votes that would have favored the mayor. However, the Court did not consider these discrepancies sufficient to annul the election. I hope that future elections will be conducted in a more transparent manner.
3. World Today News: In the last elections of October 29,
