Colombia's lower House backs referendum on allowing Uribe to run for third term as

[Judi Lynn]

Source: Associated Press

1:16 a.m. Wednesday, September 2, 2009
Colombia's lower House backs referendum on allowing Uribe to run for third term as president
The Associated Press

Colombia's lower House backs referendum on allowing Uribe to run for third term as president.

Read more: http://www.ajc.com/news/nation-world/colombia-129100.html

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Longer version:

Colombia's lower House Oks re-election bill
3 mins ago

BOGOTA – Colombia's lower House has approved a bill calling for a referendum on whether to change the constitution to allow President Alvaro Uribe to run for a third term.

Lawmakers have voted 85-5 with 76 abstentions in favor of the referendum. The bill, which has already passed the Senate, must now go to Colombia's Constitutional Court.

The referendum would ask voters if Colombia should modify its constitution to allow presidents to run for two consecutive re-elections. The constitution, which was already modified once to let Uribe run for a second four-year term, allows for a single immediate re-election.

Uribe has not yet said publicly if he will run again.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090902/ap_on_re_la_am_ca/lt_colombia_re_election

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Bloomberg:

Colombia’s Congress Approves Referendum on Uribe Third Term Bid
By Helen Murphy

Sept. 2 (Bloomberg) -- Colombian President Alvaro Uribe cleared another hurdle toward running for re-election as the lower house approved a national referendum on changing the constitution to allow presidents to serve three straight terms.

After three days of debate, the chamber voted 85-to-5 to approve holding a referendum, joining the Senate which passed the same bill on Aug. 19. Opponents argued that with another term, Uribe would deepen his imprint on Colombia’s government and compromise its democratic character. The measure now goes to the nine-member constitutional court for its evaluation.

Uribe hasn’t taken a public position on the referendum or said whether he’d run in the 2010 election if the constitutional change is approved. He has repeatedly stressed, though, the importance of maintaining his security policies aimed at defeating drug-funded rebels that have challenged the Colombian government for more than 40 years.

“Momentum is now building and it would be a fool who suggests that Uribe, the man who has done the most for Colombia since Simon Bolivar restored independence in the 1800s, can’t triumph again,” said Rupert Stebbings head of international sales at Interbolsa SA, the nation’s second-biggest brokerage.

More:
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601086&sid=aseY9jcAxAAA

[struggle4progress]

1. No doubt all the Zelaya opponents will now fly out of the woodwork to demand

Uribe be deported at gunpoint, and all the Chavez haters will appear to scream that Uribe is trying to become dictator-for-life

Right?

[ck4829]

3. Honorary K&R

[bertman]

4. My thoughts, too. Given that he's a right-winger, the military coup possibility is remote.

[AlphaCentauri]

7. I have not seen anti Chavez-Castro-Zelaya "progressives" criticize Uribe

what side their harts are on?

[Vidar]

13. Of course not. He's a yankee capitalist stooge.

[AlphaCentauri]

17. Humans have their hart on the left side mutants must have it on the right side n/t

[troubledamerican]

20. Of course not. Uribe has Death Squads & mass graves. Chavez has none.

That's why Chavez is Hitler & Uribe is our ally. Fascism prevails, even when it's plainly upside-down.

[EFerrari]

15. Right.

:)

[Mudoria]

2. Two terms is enough for anyone

[endarkenment]

5. Like FDR?

Just because our system imposed term limits on our executive does not mean all systems ought to have them. While Uribe is a thug, a rightwing autocrat, and will use the abolition of term limits to continue his less than democratic reign with a veneer of legality, that does not make term limits in general a good thing or a solution to the problem of autocratic executives. For example see Russia..

[IDFbunny]

16. I think term limits ARE a good way to check

autocratic executives and would go a long way in checking the corruption of entrenched legislators.

We can never expect congressmen to limit themselves to terms so it would have been nice if the first draft of the constitution would have had congressional term limits to start. The only way to get congress to agree to term limits is to possibly exempt themselves and see the benefits a generation later.

[Bacchus39]

11. agreed n/t

s

[Freddie Stubbs]

6. Seems like Uribe is getting a little too Chavezy

[sabrina 1]

8. If only that were the case ~

Uribe is a puppet for multi-national corporations, the exact opposite of Chavez. Uribe's history of connections to the Drug Cartels ensures he will do as he is told, or meet the same fate as Noriega once he is no longer of any service to them.

Should he even try to stand up to the, such as nationalizing Colombia's resources, his past would suddenly become a huge issue. As long as he serves his masters, his post doesn't matter.

Chavez could not be bought which is why he must be demonized. But, so far, he has managed to outwit the enemies of a free and Democratic Venezuela. People are a bit more informed now than they were in the past, and can see through the propaganda for the most part.

Iow, Uribe is no Chavez, not even close.

[EFerrari]

9. Uribe is a corrupt butcher. And watch our media ignore this whole story. n/t

[Hydra]

10. And he continues with our full support

I bet he wins in a landslide.

[Bacchus39]

12. I bet he does too n/t

s

[AlphaCentauri]

18. no kidding, how much that election will cost us?

just curious how much has to be spend to make him look good.

[Joanne98]

14. DICK-TATOR

[IndianaGreen]

19. Where are the anti-Chavez people? Why don't they accuse Uribe of being president for life?

The answer is that if a leader of a nation is a subservient lapdog of capitalism, he or she is to be extolled even if there are human rights violations. If a leader of a nation puts his people first, and corporations last, he or she is to be demonized.

BTW, Chavez followed established constitutional procedures while Uribe is gaming the system with questionable tactics.

[troubledamerican]

21. The anti-Chavez DU Uribe-defenders are silent.