BOGOTA, (Reuters) – The final vote on a bill aimed at letting popular Colombian President Alvaro Uribe seek a third term next year was postponed yesterday, decreasing chances it will pass in time to allow him to run.
Different versions of the measure have passed the Senate and lower House. A bicameral reconciliation commission put aside the bill until Congress reconvenes on July 20.
The committee appeared to have enough votes to pass the proposal, which calls for a voter referendum asking for a change in the constitution to allow an immediate third term.
But lawmakers are nervous about a court investigation into the legality of the process by which Uribe’s supporters collected signatures in support of the referendum proposal.
The presidential election is only 11 months away.
If the proposal passes the committee, it would have to be reviewed by the Constitutional Court, a process that could take up to six months, according to legal experts.
Election authorities have said it would take at least three months after that to organize a voter referendum.
“At this point, the main enemy of another re-election is time,” opposition Senator Juan Manuel Galan told Reuters.
Opinion polls say Uribe could easily win another presidential vote. But Galan, like many Colombians, believes a third term would upset the democratic balance of powers.
Administration officials have lobbied for the re-election measure, but the president has not said whether he will run if given the chance, leaving the political picture in limbo.
