The Colombian Government changed the text of a held referendum to try to save the 2010 re-election of President Álvaro Uribe.
Interior and Justice Minister Fabio Valencia Cossio sent the altered text for approval to coalition senators, who will have to push it through Congress, assuring Uribe’s possibility to be re-elected for a third consecutive term.
An earlier alteration of the text was sunk in Congress, making it only possible for Uribe to be re-elected in 2014 or later. The formulation of the text of the referendum — signed by four million Colombians — was not clear enough about when a President was allowed a second re-election.
Cambio Radical, the coalition party whose congressmen disapproved the previous change of text, held a meeting two weeks ago after which it was decided the congressmen were now allowed to support the 2010 re-election of Uribe, despite the presidential aspirations of the party’s own presiden, German Vargas Lleras.
Before uribe, the Colombian constitution allowed a president to serve only one term. This was changed to two terms, during Uribe’s first four years. The government and coalition parties now wants to change the constitution again, allowing Uribe to run again.
