Uribe re-election effort hits snag in Colombia

[Judi Lynn]

Source: Reuters

Uribe re-election effort hits snag in Colombia
Fri Nov 13, 2009 2:59pm EST

* Nonbinding arbiter ruling goes against re-election push

* Constitutional Court has last word on referendum

* Uribe seen as Washington's free-market ally in the Andes

By Hugh Bronstein
BOGOTA, Nov 13 (Reuters) - A bid to elect Colombian President Alvaro Uribe to a third term next year hit a snag on Friday after a panel of arbiters ruled that signatures collected in support of the effort were gathered improperly.

Opponents of a constitutional amendment to allow Uribe to run again said the decision by the National Electoral Council arbiters kills his chances of standing in the May election.

But re-election supporters say the arbiters exceeded their jurisdiction in ruling that Uribe campaign workers spent more money than allowed to collect about four million signatures supporting the change in law.

The final decision falls to the Constitutional Court, which is reviewing a bill passed by Congress calling for a referendum on the proposed constitutional amendment.

Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/marketsNews/idUSN1345999120091113?rpc=401

[David__77]

1. Interesting.

In principle, I do not support term limits of any sort, as it is a contravention of voter choice. But I would not lament the defeat of Uribe by any means.

[boppers]

3. I'm big on term limits, myself.

Without them, executive branches, even senators, become kings and barons, rather than servants of their populace.

[Mudoria]

4. I agree.. two terms is enough for anyone

[ronnie624]

5. An informed electorate

should have no problem deciding who is the best candidate for office. Term limits, in my opinion, amount to an attempt by the state to limit choices that might lead to reform. They seem designed to break up continuity. The electorate should have a full range of choices available when deciding on a candidate, and whether or not to return an incumbent to office should be one of them. In no way does a lack of term limits logically lead to dictatorship. This shop worn refrain cannot be substantiated, it is simply a poorly considered opinion repeated regularly as a truism.

[starroute]

2. The whole free market thing is getting slowed down too

http://news.moneycentral.msn.com/provider/providerarticle.aspx?feed=AP&date=20091113&id=10699872

Trade agreements with South Korea, Colombia and Panama won't be put before Congress until it grapples first with President Barack Obama's pressing legislative goals, the U.S. commerce secretary said Friday.

Commerce Secretary Gary Locke said Obama has an ambitious high-priority legislative agenda focusing on health care, financial regulation and alternative energy.

"Trade agreements are going to have to wait," he said at a luncheon hosted by the American Chamber of Commerce in Singapore. "Right now, the administration is focused on a very aggressive and very tight legislative agenda."

[IndianaGreen]

6. DU's DLC and conserva Dem pukes will never refer to Uribe as 'President for Life'

"President for Life" is a charge the closeted Reagan Democrats often level at Venezuela's Hugo Chaves. Unlike Uribe, Chavez followed the proper constitutional procedure to repeal term limits (our Founding Fathers believed that elections were the ultimate term limiter). The reason DU's DLC and conservadems pukes won't ever criticize Uribe is because he is their boy! Uribe is the sort of leader Ronald Reagan wanted for Latin America: an avid advocate of neoliberal economic policies and an unquestioning supporter of American imperialism.