Constitutional Court Rules Out Second Re-election for Colombian President Alvaro Uribe

In a historical decision on Friday 26th March the Colombian Constitutional Court ruled out a referendum proposed by President Alvaro Uribe’s supporters over a constitutional amendment which would have allowed Uribe to stand for election for a third consecutive term. The magistrates voted 7-2 against the referendum, ruling that the proposed amendment was unconstitutional because it would upset the balance of power between state institutions. It also cited the numerous procedural irregularities in the referendum project’s financing and its passage through the Colombian congress. The Congress illegally changed the text of the constitutional amendment.

Politicians, social organisations and large sections of the media celebrated the decision and praised the independence of the Constitutional Court, which came under heavy pressure from the government to pass the motion. President Uribe’s Legal Secretary paid a last minute visit to the Court on Thursday to try and convince magistrates to approve the referendum, and the government put huge pressure on the magistrates in its public discourse. The presidential elections will take place in May, and have now been thrown wide open.

Meanwhile, many are predicting that President Uribe could end up facing justice for the systematic human rights violations against the civil population and crimes against humanity which have taken place during his time in office. President Uribe will leave office on August 7th.