Colombian Vote Bolsters Uribe's Chances to Seek Third Term

Source: Washington Post

Colombian Vote Bolsters Uribe's Chances to Seek Third Term
By Juan Forero
Washington Post Foreign Service
Thursday, August 20, 2009; 1:40 PM

BOGOTA, Colombia, Aug. 20 -- President Álvaro Uribe, whose government has forged a close alliance with the United States to fight Marxist guerrillas and drug traffickers, stepped closer to extending his presidency when Colombia's Senate voted late Wednesday in favor of an effort to allow him to run for reelection.

Just a month ago, Colombia's influential newsmagazine, Semana, declared Uribe's chances of going for a third term "dead." Even some of the president's supporters had said there was not enough time before the May election for the country's highest court to approve a constitutional amendment permitting him to run for reelection and for authorities to convene a referendum that would ask Colombians whether they approved of a third term.

But Thursday, Uribe's supporters in Congress were buoyant after the Senate voted 56 to 2 to stage a referendum. The president's opponents, who say the reelection effort violates the constitution, boycotted the vote, though its leaders acknowledged not having the votes to stop the bill.

~snip~
But his administration has been mired in scandals that increasingly concern Democratic leaders in the U.S. Congress. Some of Uribe's top aides are under investigation by the attorney general's office in a vast wire-tapping case, and the army has been implicated in the slayings of up to 1,600 civilians. Opponents of reelection have also accused Uribe's supporters of enticing prospective voters in Congress with lucrative business deals.


Read more: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/08/20/AR2009082002431.html

Come on Chavez haters, where are you all???

They're trying to pitch the idea Uribe needs to stay in office so he can kill the remaining terrifying enemies. (They should also make him take an oath his military would give up "false positives" (killing citizens, then putting guns, grenades, etc. on them, to prove they are dead rebels).

That makes it PATRIOTIC to vote for Uribe! Not patriotic to vote for a leftist, as it seems, in the grand right-wing view of reality.

remember reading something about that, and questions about the security of their machines, but I may be mistaken.

Boy, the sound of crickets in this thread is deafening!

Chavez went through a constitutional procedure while Uribe has actually cut corners.

Two terms is more thn enough for any President.

Uribe's party had to BRIBE members of the Senate who would have otherwise voted against this change to their constitution.

One of the Senators had to go to jail after she testified in court about the bribe they gave her to do their bidding.

The bribed witness went to jail, the ones who bribed her are doing just fine, thanks for asking.

:rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

Made my day!

"Dictator!" "Dictator!" "Dictator!" "Dictator!" "Dictator!" Neeyah neeyah na neeyah-neeyah!

But I'm actually kind of worried about Santos--the Rumfeld clone Defense Minister who is 'running' for president (gearing up the death squads). Uribe is bad--very bad. But Santos is worse. Maybe it's better to have the Medellin Cartel running Colombia.

Anyway, what a hoot! Alvaro Uribe, savior of Colombia! The man that Colombia cannot do without--at least in his own opinion. Sneaking extension of his term of office in there, once again. In that "model of democracy," that maker of "Medalists of Freedom"--Colombia! Send him some more US taxpayer billions, right now, cuz he's worth a laugh, and we don't get to laugh much any more.

LOL!