Bogotá, October 28 (teleSUR-RHC)-- The Patriotic Union, which made its return to Colombian politics in Sunday's elections after being nearly exterminated in the 1980s, said Tuesday that the party was the victim of fraud and called for a recount of votes in Bogotá.

“The Patriotic Union is victim of a theft of votes in Bogota,” said party president Aida Avella in a video released on-line. 

According to that statement, many votes for the Patriotic Union were apparently not counted due to the format of the scrutineer sheet, which left the Patriotic Union on the last page, and scrutineers did not know where to record the party's votes. 

The party ran a closed list in this election, meaning votes for the party were counted together. However the party's votes for the local administrative councils outpaced the votes for the municipal council, an unusual occurrence.

That the Patriotic Union was a possible victim of a theft of votes is particularly alarming due to the fact that this was the party's formal return to the electoral arena.
     
The party and its members was virtually exterminated by the state and its paramilitary allies, in what would come to be called a political genocide.

“I believe this is a very difficult situation for a party that has not only been the subject of a genocide, but a theft of votes. This is very serious,” said Avella.

The party called for a rally to be held Wednesday to demand a recount.