Colombia adds biometrics to election process, Guyana presses on with the current system

Colombia has launched a biometric web platform for candidates registering to participate in its upcoming 2023 territorial elections, which will use facial and fingerprint biometrics.

The National Registrar, Alexander Vega Rocha, says in an announcement that around 130,000 candidates will be able to register virtually via this platform.

The new platform will make it “easy” for representatives of political groups to decide how they register according to Rocha, and they will also be able to upload their requirements and guarantees.

This platform has previously been tested in the registrations for Colombia’s elections of the Congress of the Republic, according to Rocha.

The registration period ends on July 29.

Elsewhere in Latin America, The Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM), according to the online regional publication News Room, will resume its ‘continuous registration exercise on July 4, 2023.

Existing registrants who want to update their records will be able to do so in person at brick-and-mortar registration offices throughout the country’s ten administrative regions, provided they have the right documents.

This registration exercise will conclude on November 30, 2023.

Though the Central American nation is not set to utilize biometrics at present, there has been a strong push from some quarters for the country to incorporate biometrics into its election process.

Earlier this year, the leader of the country’s opposition coalition Aubrey Norton said they will continue their campaign for the introduction of biometrics for voter identification at polling stations.

“The Opposition’s focus will remain directed at ensuring biometrics at the place of the poll and a clean voters list to guarantee elections which are free and fair and can win the trust of all Guyanese,” the politician was quoted as saying.

Guyana has been dogged in the past few years by accusations of vote fiddling, leading to serious litigation.

The small country of just under one million uncovered oil reserves in 2015, offering to boost its GDP considerably.

Article Topics

biometrics  |  Colombia  |  elections  |  face biometrics  |  fingerprint biometrics  |  Guyana  |  voter identification