The story of the mayor of Antioquia who wants to take away his father's surname so that he doesn't cancel his election

The municipality of Tarazá in the department of Antioquia has experienced a particular situation with regard to its local leaders. It all began when Miguel Gómez García, mayor of the same municipality in the periods 2001-2003, 2008-2011 and also pointed out by the paramilitary 'Cuco' Vanoy of the AUC to have great support from the paramilitaries in his first term. He died of covid in September 2020 in his third term as mayor.

Due to this situation, atypical elections were called against Hector Giraldo and Dawinson Gomez Tamayo, son of the dead mayor. The electoral exercise left Gómez Tamayo as the winner on July 25, 2021.

However, after this situation, he filed a legal appeal to the Administrative Court of Antioquia Giraldo, stating that the winning candidate had a disability as indicated in Law 136 of 1994, which states that marriage or kinship ties with officials who have exercised authority within the last twelve months are disabled, in this case to be appointed as mayor.

For his part, Gómez Tamayo's response was that his father, not being alive, does not represent a citizen in a condition of legality because he is not “on this plane,” he argued that he denied by the Court.

Now Gómez Tamayo's solution is to remove his father's surname to eliminate the disability and stand again for the second atypical elections to be held in the municipality of Taraza on June 5. Gómez Tamayo or Tamayo, argued that Miguel Gómez was not his blood father, even if he fulfilled the father role but with the only person he has a blood link is with his mother so he plans to be Dawinson-Tamayo.

Tamayo, when he was mayor before his inability, faced prosecution for an investigation that linked him to the alleged release of prisoners from prison in exchange for money between the guards and some officials, but he was later given freedom, about this stated the defence lawyer of the then mayor: “The judge found that there was no material evidence to indicate that Mr. Dawinson Gómez Tamayo had committed the crime of concert to commit an offense or reasonable inference of authorship. He regained his full freedom, without any restrictions and can continue with his professional, work and personal life as he has.”

On more information in common: atypical elections in Urrao, Antioquia, were held normally: Registrar's Office.

On Sunday, April 3, in the municipality of Urrao, Antioquia, a day of atypical elections was held from 8:00 in the morning. Citizens have defined for the third time, since 2019, who will be the new local president.

The National Registry of Civil Status arranged nine polling stations, four in the municipal seat and the other five in municipalities, and 55 polling stations for the conduct of this election day. The entity also indicated that a total of 24,805 citizens, of whom 12,240 are women and 12,565 are men, were authorized to exercise their right to vote in these atypical elections.

On this occasion there were five candidates seeking election as mayors of the municipality: Sebastián Durango, from the Democratic Center; Osvaldo Sepúlveda, of the Conservative Party; Sergio Augusto Cardona of Humana Colombia; Jaime Eduardo Urrego of the Indigenous Authorities of Colombia; and Alvaro Salazar Herrera of the Grand Alliance Coalition by the Urrao Unit.

Through its social networks, the Registrar's Office commented that the polls opened at 8:00 in the morning with total normality and under strict biosafety protocols to avoid the spread of covid-19.

“At 4:00 in the afternoon the elections were closed in the municipality of Urrao, with a very positive result,” explained Diego Sepúlveda, departmental delegate of Antioquia. The men and women eligible to vote did so in complete calm with the accompaniment of the security forces, the supervisory bodies and the observation of the EOM (Electoral Observation Mission).”

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