BOGOTÁ – Colombian president Álvaro Uribe moved closer to a 2010 re-election bid on Wednesday when the senate approved a Bill aimed at allowing him to run for a third term, part of a push to extend his popular security policies.
A tough vote on the proposal looms in the house next week. The Bill calls for a referendum asking voters if they want to amend the constitution to allow the president, known for his investor-friendly policies, to run again in the May 2010 election.
Mr Uribe has not said publicly whether he will seek another term but his government is lobbying hard for the referendum. He was elected president in 2002 and re-elected in 2006 after the constitution was changed to allow a second term. He is a hero to many of his people for making cities and roads safer with a US-backed crackdown on drug-smuggling rebels.
Mr Uribe is Washington’s main ally in the Andean region, where neighbouring governments regularly criticise US policy and are strengthening ties with Russia, China and Iran. But even some of his staunchest supporters say a third term could throw off the country’s balance of power.
For weeks analysts had said the referendum Bill was dead, as Mr Uribe grappled with a slowing economy and vote-buying scandals. But his government launched an all-out lobbying effort in recent days to convince lawmakers to vote for the measure. – (Reuters)