A regional election kicked off Sunday across Colombia as scheduled, as rebels tried in vain to paralyze the voting for governors, mayors and local councils.
The voting, which started at 8:00 a.m. local time and will conclude at 4:00 p.m., is widely regarded as a test of President Alvaro Uribe's control of power.
More than 27 million registered electors will vote to fill 32 governorships, 1,098 mayorships and thousands of lesser offices in 9,988 voting stations across the country. The election results will be announced later Sunday.
The new governors, mayors and councilors will hold their posts for four years.
There were no immediate reports of violence as the polls opened.
According to observers, 29 candidates have been killed during the two months leading up to the elections, nine have been kidnapped and more than 90 have received threats. The government has blamed the incidents on a major rebel militant group that it says has tried to block the elections.
The Colombian government said earlier that the 17,000-strong FARC, Colombia's main guerrilla group, was responsible for the killings.
In order to maintain peace, the government deployed nearly 200,000 troops and police to the streets to ensure a secure election.
Source: Xinhua
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