Most Colombian mayor candidates have criminal ties: NGO

[Judi Lynn]

Most Colombian mayor candidates have criminal ties: NGO
Monday, 24 October 2011 11:20
Alice Boyd

An NGO monitoring Colombia's local elections said Monday a large majority of mayoral candidates have ties to convicted criminal politicians or paramilitary groups.

The announcement was made following an investigation by NGO Nuevo Arco Iris into the possibility of corruption in the upcoming October elections, to be held this Sunday.

Nuevo Arco Iris, a non-governmental organization committed to democratization and modernization in Colombia, said that "parapolitics" continues to be a major issue throughout Colombia.

The announcement undermines ongoing and highly publicized attempts by political parties to purge any members or candidates who have been linked to paramilitary groups.

More:
http://colombiareports.com/colombia-news/news/19891-majority-of-mayoral-candidates-have-paramilitary-ties-ngo.html