In Nuevo Belén de Bajirá, Chocó, they elect their first mayor by popular election

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“Belén de Bajirá yesterday was the municipality in dispute between two departments, today it is the municipality that unites two departments. The importance of this territory is its geographical location, because it is the entrance to the Darién of Chocó and it is the exit to the Urabá of Antioquia,” says Henry Chaverra, who 17 months ago was appointed as mayor in charge while the process to have a agent in property.

Since he has been in charge of the municipality, it has had exponential growth, going from having about 12,000 inhabitants to more than 31,000, which has been certified by Dane, although he recognizes that in terms of infrastructure and public services they have not advanced enough because the resources They were arriving somewhere else.

“The mayor by popular election will have the possibility of making and complying with all these demands and unsatisfied needs that our population has,” added Chaverra.

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This will not only be the job of the new mayor, he will also have the task of rebuilding the social fabric of a population that was left in the middle of the dispute between sister departments and those who were in an administrative limbo because in the capital there were services from both sides.

In Belén de Bajirá, those who came to know the territory for the first time found that there was a health center from Antioquia and another from Chocó, as well as two schools and two police inspections.

Fidelio Blandón Soto, secretary of the Civic Committee for the Salvation and Dignity of Chocó, explained that to reach this point of what he calls “rescue of the territory”, in 2016 the Belén de Bajirá pro-defense committee was revived and joined to the civic strike promoted by them to demand that the National Government pay attention to health, education, infrastructure and other issues, as well as the creation of the new municipality.

“Finally we managed to clear up all doubt regarding the law and today the territory of Belén de Bajirá is again in Chocó, it is a rescue of the territory because it was never from Antioquia,” Blandón said.

The statement is based on Law 1347 through which the department of Chocó was created with the same limits that it had when it was the National Mayor and which was compiled by the Agustín Codazzi Geographic Institute (IGAC) that located Belén de Bajirá and the Blanquiceth territories. , Macondo and Nuevo Oriente in the department of Chocó.

For Blandón, these elections are a triumph because, “without antagonizing the Antioquians, we achieved justice. We cannot make enemies with the neighbors, with the neighbors privileged things are settled through dialogue and when there is no understanding through dialogue, then we have to make use of the rule of law, which fortunately still has some left in Colombia,” he added.

Although the Chocó Assembly ordered the creation of the municipality through an ordinance, it was the inhabitants of the newly created Chocó municipality who had the last word in a confirmatory referendum that was held on November 26, 2023.

That day, citizens authorized by the Registry had the responsibility of giving a yes or no to the question: Do you agree with the ordinance that creates the Nuevo Belén de Bajirá municipality?
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With 3,141 votes for yes, 11 votes for no, five null votes and six unmarked, the citizens decided that they wanted to be part of the 31st municipality of the department, made up of 11 townships and 57 villages.

As happened on that occasion, for this Sunday, the voting stations will open their doors at 8 in the morning and close at 4 in the afternoon, to make way for the counting.

Immediately the name of the winner is known and it is certified by the National Electoral Council, Henry Chaverra will give him the position so that “the planning of the territory can begin, which is so important for the department of Chocó and especially for the subregion of Darién and Urabá Antioquia.”

Nubia Carolina Córdoba Curi, governor of Chocó, who since Friday installed the Unified Command Post (PMU) for the elections, will be accompanying the elections together with the National Registrar of Civil Status. Hernán Penagos Giraldo, who is expected in the region.

“We are now ready for our date with democracy, the happiness that not only the Bajirenses but the entire Chocoan people feel as they almost claim that the final moment of the representation of Chocoan sovereignty in our territory with the formal election of the mayor by popular vote “, Córdoba noted.

So that the day goes smoothly, she will be accompanied by uniformed officers from the Urabá Police Department and soldiers from the Titan Joint Task Force.
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​LAURA ROSA JIMÉNEZ VALENCIA
Nation Journalist
Medellin