The present escalation of armed conflict, ocurring in the midst of the electoral process, along with crimes against the life and freedom of candidates, voters and the political rights of the Colombians, creates a climate of human rights violations and endangers the democratic stability of Colombia. Illegal armed actors are trying to influence the protagonists and the results of the electoral process by impeding the adequate development of the elections, especially in the regions most affected by conflict.

The Colombian National Government, acting along the established guidelines for its policies of promotion, respect and safeguard of human rights and International Humanitarian Law, is committed to defending human rights, the democratic institutions of Colombia and political pluralism, especially during the elections planned for this year. In order to provide protection of life and assurance of rights and liberties during the upcoming elections for members of Congress and the Presidency, the government has established the Plan for Electoral Guarantees and the Democracy Plan.

The institutional responsibility for electoral security has been assigned to the Commission for the Coordination and Oversight of the Electoral Processes, led by by the Minister of the Interior, and with the participation of the Ministers of Defense and Communications, the Procurator General, the Head of the National Ombudsman´s Office, the Legal Secretary of the Presidency of the Republic, the Attorney General, the President of the Electoral Council and the head of the national electoral agency (Registrador Nacional).

The Plan for Electoral Guarantees is intended to maintain security for the electoral process, candidates, voters and political headquarters. Likewise, it is in charge of offering election-related insurance policies and running a back-up communications network. Additionally, it attends matters such as the transparency of elections, electoral logistics and citizenship education. The Ministry of the Interior and other relevant agencies are in charge of implementing the Plan for Electoral Guarantees.

In order to guarantee security of the polls, the candidates and political headquarters, the authorities have previously carried out surveys to evaluate existing levels of risk. Based on the latter, they adopt the necessary corrective and preventive actions to avoid violent acts against the integrity of political leaders, candidates to the Presidency and to Congress, and the general public. The Security Councils at different levels, Governors and Mayors also participate in these preventive activities.

Within the Ministry of the Interior, the dependencies in charge of defining strategy are the Observatory of Electoral Security at the Directorate of Public Order, in coordination with the Directorate of Political and Electoral Affairs. They identify trends in criminal threats against the electoral process, relying on information about homicides, kidnappings, release of kidnapped citizens, threats and attacks against elected officials, candidates, members of political parties, and other government officials.

The Administrative Department of Security (DAS) carries out analysis on the level of risk faced by particular candidates, assigns security personnel for their protection and coordinates their travel arrangements. Protection measures are the responsibility of the National Police and regional Police authorities. Additionally, when required, the National Police is responsible for the security of political headquarters.
The Plan also includes the provision of insurance policies for vehicles used by candidates for their transportation, as well as the operation of a back-up communications network linking relevant government agencies with party and political group officials or candidates perceived to be at risk. By providing a communications contingency plan, the network allows for rapid responses in emergency situations. Furthermore, the Plan for Electoral Guarantees provides for security and freedom of voters, safeguards the free circulation of voters, and protects the free and secret nature of the vote.

The Democracy Plan arranges for provision of electoral security by the Armed and Police Forces. Coordination of this fundamental component of the Plan for Electoral Guarantees is responsibility of the Ministers of Defense and Interior. The Military Forces and the National Police are in maximum alert status in order to adopt the necessary measures to guarantee the free exercise of the right to vote in all the national territory. They are also undertaking intelligence activities to protect the electoral process in coordination with civilian authorities, DAS, the political campaigns, and candidates to the Presidency and the Congress of the Republic. Additionally, the Armed and Police Forces work in coordination with the institutions responsible for establishing the degree of threat or risk existing in each region of the national territory. Through the Democracy Plan, the Armed and Police Forces have arranged for security coverage of voting sites across the entire country. In this way, the Armed and Police Forces comply with their role of protectors of political and fundamental human rights.