Colombian president Alvaro Uribe aspires a third term, he explicitly told members of the coalition on Tuesday.
According to Senator Marco Alirio Cortes, who was present at the meeting that Uribe had with congressmen, the President said he “is very committed to the people” and if the referendum required to allow him a third term gets up, then he is “eager and determined” to stay in power.
The President asked coalition lawmakers to speed up the process of the referendum and stated that it is important to know what will happen with the initiative.
“The President told us that it is time to give an official statement so that the Colombian people know what to expect,” Senator Carlos Fero told newspaper El Espectador.
However, the referendum seems to be bogged down in the House, where coalition members fear the pending Supreme Court investigation into their alleged illegal approval of the bill that enabled the previous referendum, which allowed Uribe to run for a second four-year term. In a second attempt to cast the last vote on the bill, only eight of the 25 required Representatives showed up.
