National Electoral Council requested an international audit of the Registrar's computer systems

Errors in the counting of votes and reporting the figures during the last legislative elections of March 13 keep the magnifying glass on the electoral process led by the Registrar, with a little less than two months left for the presidential elections. Now, the National Electoral Council (CNE) requested an international audit of information systems.

The Full Chamber of the electoral authority, which has the function of inspection, control and supervision of the process, decided on April 1 to request the audit, “due to situations of technical origin that had a negative impact on the recent legislative elections process.”

“In compliance with this mandate, in the face of the presidential elections, the review is requested through an international audit, aimed at the processes and systems that were inconvenient during the legislative elections,” said César Augusto Abreo, president of the CNE, through the request sent to the registrar Alexander Vega.

Among the systems, inspection must be carried out to the Computer and Logistics of Voter Information (Infovoters), which during the first hours of March 13 did not work due to “failures that could have an impact on limiting the possibilities of citizens to exercise their right to vote during the election process legislative”, according to the CNE.

There should also be a review of the computer systems, security and technological components of auxiliary, municipal, district, departmental and general scrutiny; national-level scrutiny; and registration of citizens.

“For all cases, a thorough review is intended based on three main aspects, namely Computer Systems (including source code review under national scrutiny), Information Security and Processes. This review will assess the degree of efficiency, effectiveness, controls, risk management, critical and systematic examination of all software within scope, through the execution of tests, evaluations, fieldwork of specialized auditors and delivery of reports,” said the CNE.

Likewise, the processes must be strictly monitored and the degree of compliance with the controls must be evaluated, with review of use cases and flows, in the Software for the National Counting Commission, the Monitoring Control System on the WEB, the Support and Logistics, Technological Infrastructure and in support and security computer science. This is in order to ensure credibility in the electoral process.

The president of the CNE clarified to the Registrar that, if he does not have sufficient resources to contract the audit, he will carry out the corresponding management of the Ministry of Finance and Public Credit, for an open bidding process that meets the requirements defined by the electoral authority.

The political parties and leaders agree that Registrar Alexander Vega decide to dispose of office because of the errors that caused one of the most important credibility crises of recent decades against the institution.

Moreover, when the presidential elections remain in at least two ballots (first and second round), in May and June respectively. In which further distrust of the results and the resulting institutional crises should be avoided.

This was expressed by the President of Congress, Juan Diego Gómez during the debate on control of the Registry Office. Although Vega did not attend, because he cannot be summoned by the legislature, the senator requested that an ad hoc registrar be appointed for the presidential elections and that the current registrar be removed from office.

In the last elections, the first count of votes had a negative difference of almost 600,000 with the count, mainly in one of the legislative lists, the Historical Pact, which in turn was the most voted. That meant that that coalition had four seats more than initially budgeted and other parties lost a seat in the upper house. Now, those who were harmed say that it was an adulteration of the results, while the beneficiaries argue that they managed to prevent an electoral robbery.

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