Colombia's Uribe signs his own re-election bill

[Judi Lynn]

Colombia's Uribe signs his own re-election bill
Tue Sep 8, 2009 9:25pm EDT

BOGOTA (Reuters) - Colombian President Alvaro Uribe on Tuesday signed a bill calling for a referendum to ask voters if they want to change the constitution to allow the popular U.S. ally to run for a third term next year.

Uribe has not said publicly whether he wants another turn in office. But his government has lobbied hard for the referendum and his signing of the bill indicates he may launch another campaign if given the chance.

The bill, passed by Congress last week, will be reviewed by the Constitutional Court, a process that could take months. The next presidential election is scheduled for May.

Colombia changed its constitution once to allow Uribe to run for a second term in 2006. He is a hero to many for his U.S.-backed crackdown on drug-running Marxist rebels.

But many of his own supporters say a third term would concentrate too much power in the executive branch, upsetting the country's democratic balance of power.

More:
http://www.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idUSTRE58805420090909?rpc=401&

[Judi Lynn]

1. Colombia's president signs re-election proposal

Sep 9, 12:29 AM EDT
Colombia's president signs re-election proposal

BOGOTA (AP) -- President Alvaro Uribe signed legislation Tuesday calling for a national referendum on amending the constitution to allow him to seek re-election for a second time.

With Uribe's signature following passage by both houses of congress, the measure goes to the Constitutional Court for review. The court has 90 days to rule whether legislators met all requirements for propsoing a constitutional amendment.

Uribe, one of Washington's staunchest allies in the region, has not said whether he wants to run for another term in the presidential election next May.

The constitution already has been amended once to permit him to serve a second consecutive four-year term. The proposed referendum would let Colombians decide if a president should be allowed to hold the office for three consecutive terms.

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/L/LT_COLOMBIA_RE_ELECTION?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2009-09-09-00-29-39

[Peace Patriot]

2. Do they ever call Chavez "the popular U.S. antagonist"?

He's had continual approval ratings in Venezuela in the 60% range, and has been popularly elected in real elections in Venezuela, and is immensely popular all over Latin America (draws huge crowds), including with most of Latin America's leaders.

No, they call him the "self-styled leftist, friend of Fidel Castro...," and always tag on anonymous "critics" ("His critics say..."), no matter the subject. No name. No quote. No attribution. ("His critics say..."--he is "increasingly authoritarian," or "His critics say..."--he "suppresses freedom of speech"--no facts, no names, no questions asked, just the personal opinion of the corpo/fascist 'news' writer.)

But Uribe, oh Uribe, with his close ties to fascist death squads and major drug cartels, he is the "popular U.S. ally." They don't tell you that raising your head in a leftist cause--or even just a democracy cause--in Colombia, could get it shot off. They don't tell you that risk your life, in Colombia, campaigning for leftist candidates, or even just voting for them. They don't tell you of the thousands of dead union leaders and others. They don't tell you of the vast poor majority. They don't tell you of the half a million people who have fled Colombia, into Venezuela and Ecuador, mostly fleeing Colombia's murderous military and closely tied rightwing paramilitary death squads. The "popular U.S. ally"--as if that were even possible to determine in a country where freedom of speech truly is suppressed--violently and with finality.

This burns me up. My name for them is Rotters--and they bloody well deserve it. Rotten to the core.

:thumbsdown:

[roody]

4. They don't tell you that 3 million Colombians

are displaced withing their country.

[roody]

3. Didn't something like that get Zelaya

kidnapped?