Democracy News

Colombian President Denied Third Term
March 2, 2010
By: Randi Zung | Printer Friendly

In a 7-2 vote, the Colombian Constitutional Court rejected a referendum that would have allowed current President Alvaro Uribe to seek a third term in office, BBC News reports.  The referendum, which was overwhelmingly backed by parliament, would have extended term limits to a maximum of three terms from its previous two terms.  The last time term limits were altered was in 2005, which allowed Uribe to run for a second term in 2006.  Uribe’s second term was plagued by scandal, including accusations of human rights abuses and illegal intelligence gathering activities.  Following the court’s ruling, Defense Minister Juan Manuel Santos, who is now currently leading in opinion polls, confirmed he would run for the presidency.  Uribe said he accepted the court’s decision, and stated that he would continue to work towards helping the county “from any trench,” The Economist reports.  Uribe has not yet publicly declared support for another candidate.

The announcement of the court’s decision was made in Bogota at the Palace of Justice, where members of the Citizens Alliance had gathered to protest alterations to the constitution, CNN reports.  Demonstrators were seen carrying signs that said: “The constitution lives!” and “Long live the Constitutional Court!”  Lead justice Mauricio Gonzalez stated that any referendum to amend term limits included “substantial violations to the democratic principle.”  The Economist also reports the court’s ruling demonstrates that Colombia’s system of checks and balances remains intact, despite accusations from anti-Uribe supporters that the president “blurred” the lines between the branches of government.

Currently there are seven candidates running in the presidential election.  According to Reuters, analysts have predicted that none of the candidates will come out of the May 30 presidential election with more than 50 percent of the vote, meaning that a second round of voting will likely take place in June.  Analysts anticipate they will have a clearer picture of the country’s political climate following the upcoming March 14 parliamentary election. 

Sources:

BBC News - Colombian judges deny Alvaro Uribe third term poll

The Economist - Colombia's president: Third time, unlucky

CNN - Colombian president can't run for third term, high court rules

Reuters - Colombia election race starts, Santos favored