Colombia: First Reactions to the Results of Presidential Elections on Twitter

The results of the Colombian presidential elections held on May 30 surprised a lot of people which, based on opinion polls and the internet campaign, expected a more disputed contest between the frontrunners, right-wing candidate Juan Manuel Santos (Party of the U) and centrist candidate Antanas Mockus (Green Party). Santos, self-proclaimed heir of the legacy of popular president Álvaro Uribe Vélez, got almost [es] 6.8 million votes (46.56%); 3.1 million votes went to Mockus, former Mayor of Bogotá (21.49%). As a result, the two candidates will participate in a run-off election set for June 20.

Centre-right Germán Vargas Lleras (who has supported Uribe's administration while being critical of the second re-election bid and other scandals) surprised most people with his third place (1.47 million votes, 10.13%), as well as leftist Gustavo Petro (1.33 million votes, 9.15%). Noemí Sanín and Rafael Pardo, candidates of the traditional Conservative and Liberal parties, did poorly (6.14% and 4.38% respectively), while the minor candidates Jairo Calderón, Róbinson Devia and Jaime Araújo Rentería were below the 1% mark.

Sign calling to vote blank to destroy "the matrix" at closing of the Green Party campaign in Bogotá. Image uploaded by Flickr user :: De todos los Colores :: and used under a Creative Commons license

Polls closed at 16:00 and the quick pre-count by the National Registrar Office (which by 17:30 had results for the 95% of the polling stations) allowed a fast reaction by many twitterers, most of them surprised by the huge difference of votes between the frontrunners. Some even wrote ‘fraud’ [es], based on news denouncing vote-buying by the Electoral Observation Mission (MOE) and other irregularities (later clarified by the MOE).

@Galocd

Cada que los colombianos eligen la cagan. Hubiera sido mejor instaurar la dictadura formalmente y ahorrarnos la plata y el tiempo

Everytime Colombians have to make a decision they screw it up. It'd be better to formally proclaim a dictatorship and save time and money

@stultaviro

El triunfo demoledor de Santos no me alegraría tanto de no haber sido por la actitud triunfalista y prepotente de la Ola Verde

I wouldn't be so glad for the landslide victory of Santos if it wasn't because of the triumphalist, arrogant attitude of the Green Wave.

@tropicalia115

Colombiano: come tamal un día. Come mierda cuatro años.

Colombian: eat a tamal for one day. Eat shit four years.

@simonwilchesc

#Buscandoculpables: OBAMA MALDITO!!!! NOS ILUSIONASTE CON QUE PODÍAMOS GANAR VIA WEB

#lookingsomeonetoblame DAMN YOU OBAMA!!!! YOU BUILT OUR HOPES FOR A VICTORY VIA WEB

@laosada

A mi no me extrañan los resultados. Santos usó el tema del empleo y eso lo ayudó. Mockus habló de impuestos y eso lo jodió. La cagada.

I'm not surprised by the results. Santos used the employment card and that helped him. Mockus spoke about taxes and that messed him up. Damn.

@rauldc

Me molesta [sobremanera] que la #olaverde este diciendonos ignorantes a los que no votamos por Mockus y la tolerancia??

I'm really upset because the #greenwave is calling us ‘ignorant’ to those who didn't vote for Mockus, what about tolerance??

@egolaxista

A la Ola Verde le faltó mucho de la humildad y la sensatez que sí tiene Antanas Mockus.

The Green Wave lacked a lot of the humility and sensibility Antanas Mockus does have.

@muereelkin

yo convertiria a Putumayo en una region especial asi como es Hong Kong en china

I'd turn Putumayo [the only Colombian department where Mockus won] into a special region as Hong Kong in China

@Maria_lola

No sean idiotas. En Putumayo no ganó Santos porque el uribismo se les metió con la plata fácil, no porque sea una región consciente.

Don't be idiots. Santos didn't win in Putumayo because uribismo messed up with their easy money, not because it's a conscious region.

@luisuribe

“Si la voz del pueblo es la voz de Dios, Dios odia profundamente esta puta patria.”

“If the voice of the people is the voice of God, God deeply hates this fucking land.”

@elmalcharlao

Los que piensan que Chávez quedó mamando, NO, al contrario, está feliz porque ya tiene la excusa para una guerra, igual que Santos.

Those thinking that Chávez is disappointed, NO, on the contrary he is happy because he already has an excuse for a war, just like Santos.

@elreyarturo

La política requiere de madurez, perseverancia, paciencia y tiempo. No tiene nada que ver con la euforia y la moda.

Politics need matureness, perseverance, patience, and time. It has nothing to do with euphoria or fashion.

@nataliavivas

dejémos de ser tan ilusos con internet, la campaña real no se hace con retwitteos, ni hashtags, ni like's.

let's stop being so naive with internet, you don't make a real campaign with retweets, nor hashtags, nor ‘I like”s.

@SilviaRest

No creo q las redes sociales sean las perdedoras de la jornada, se movio mucha opinion q se puede seguir capitalizando #elecciones2010.

I don't think social media is the loser of the day. A lot of opinion moved and it can be capitalized.

@juglardelzipa

¿desempleo? ¿pobreza? ¿corrupción? ¿eso no lo había acabado uribe?.

unemployment? poverty? corruption? hadn't Uribe finished that?

@lulliepop

La ola verde ha sido aplastada por un tsunami naranja.

The green wave has been crushed by an orange tsunami.

@dametupin8

El mensaje de Mockus fue plano e hipnotico, el de Santos es inteligente, pluralista, incluyente y visionario.

Mockus's message was plain, hypnotic. Santos's one is smart, pluralist, inclusive, and visionary.

@JoseGregorio

Leer los miles de tweets de girasoles insultando a los que no votaron por el lider de su secta me hace aun más feliz por su derrota.

Reading the thousand tweets from sunflowers insulting those who didn't vote for the leader of their sect makes me even happier of their defeat.

@Polexia

Menos insultos, más estrategia. Verdes, no dejen hablar a su candidato en los próximos debates y entrevistas. Q ternurita la esperanza verde

Less insults, more strategy. Greens, don't let your candidate speak on the next debates and interviews. So cute the green hope.

@Popcultura

Bueno definamos una cosa: Votar en blanco no me hace un apátrida ni un Santista, me hace una persona que no le gusta ninguna opción.

OK, let's define one thing: voting blank doesn't make me unpatriotic nor ‘santista’, it makes me a person who doesn't like any of the options.

@astridavila

Bueno, ya vimos que la discusión acá es una chimba y nos hace sentir inteligentes y poderosos. Ahora salgamos a hablar a la calle, ¿sí?

Fine, we've already seen that the discussion here rocks and makes us feel smart and powerful. Now let's go to talk to the streets, okay?

@Mr_Brownie

Me permito discrepar de los que celebran “el triunfo” de la democracia

I let myself disagree with those celebrating “the victory” of the democracy

@pabloabitbol

Ojalá la ola verde deje de tildar a la gente de inculta e ilegal, y se dedique a construir una estrategia fiel a los ideales que defiende.

I wish the green wave stops calling people ignorant and illegal and spend their time building a strategy faithful to the ideals it defends

Even President Uribe had his two cents [es]:

Colombia ha recuperado la libertad política que estuvo secuestrada por el terrorismo. Gracias Fuerzas Armadas. Gracias ciudadanía.

Colombia has recovered the political freedom which had been kidnapped by terrorism. Thank you, Armed Forces. Thank you, citizens.

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