The director of the cabinet of the National Republican Association (ANR) – Colorado Party, Eduardo González, responded to Senator Lilian Samaniego's criticism about the lack of audit of the voting machines and rejected any possibility of postponing the party's internal elections. González recalled that the Colorado dissidence appointed representatives to the Party Electoral Tribunal (TEP), including Mónica Seifart, Wilson Rojas, and Blanca Caballero, and highlighted that one of Seifart's sons, Matías Martínez Seifart, is a candidate for the Colorado Añetete movement.
“Lilian Samaniego's movement has representatives within the TEP and should have followed the electoral schedule since the registration of candidacies between January and February,” González stated. He added that the internal movements had the responsibility to designate and keep their electoral agents and technicians active throughout the entire process, questioning that a possible postponement of the internal elections is now being proposed.
The Colorado leader assured that ANR technicians participated in the audits carried out at the Superior Court of Electoral Justice (TSJE), within the schedule set for all parties and political movements. According to him, none of the parties made formal requests for reports on the process, and Samaniego was invited several times to party meetings on electoral matters but did not attend.
González compared the situation to the change of presidential candidacy within Honor Colorado in 2022, stating that on that occasion they did not take actions to prevent the rival sector's participation. “We entered to win on the field, without complaints,” he declared. “One cannot irresponsibly request the postponement of elections with the risk of being left without a candidate. We agree with controls and audits, because those who know they are going to win do not seek shortcuts or excuses.”
Senator Lilian Samaniego, however, denied having requested the postponement of the elections. She stated that the dissidence only demands compliance with the electoral schedule, which includes the audit of the voting machines, scheduled for February. The president of the TEP, Santiago Brizuela, reported that he will request the audit to be carried out without affecting the date of the municipal elections, and explained that the delay occurred because the TSJE suspended the process due to problems related to the bidding for the acquisition or rental of the machines.