MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

“Justice, the people and God” meditating on Uribe’s re-re-election

President Uribe is the US closest and most reliable ally in the region

Colombian president Alvaro Uribe remains nuclear about his future plans and whether he will run for a third period. His only public statements so far have been that he will abide by the results of the referendum which should open the way for his candidacy next May 2010.

“Institutions will decide and I will respect whatever they decide” is the most the journalist from Bogotá’s main daily El Tiempo were able to make him say during a long interview published Sunday.

More over, his explicitness about a second re-election has been limited to saying “that is in the hands of the Justice, the people and God”.

Meanwhile the Colombian Constitutional Court has further delayed its ruling regarding the viability of the referendum which would open the way for President Uribe to present himself as a candidate for the third consecutive mandate, which is barred by the Constitution.

The Constitutional Court must decide if the Referendum Bill which pretends to modify the charter following the reforms introduced in 2005, --so Uribe could run for a second mandate--, can constitutionally be applied to his re-re-election bid.

According to the latest public opinion polls, (second week of December), support for President Uribe remains strong 68%, as has been for his whole second four year mandate.

The poll also indicates that 52% of Colombians are prepared to vote in the referendum and 83% said they would vote in favour of re-election.

Uribe, with strong support from the Colombian Armed Forces and financial aid from United States has been successful in fighting back the Marxist guerrilla, allied with the drug barons and cartels, which at one time had a fifth of the territory under their control and threatened security in the main cities.

With Uribe the Colombian Army has managed some spectacular blows against the guerrilla organizations, some of them in the jungle for decades, and has taken the initiative forcing them to retreat and now has them on the run.

This has notoriously improved security in Colombia, (once kidnappers’ paradise) helping to boost the economy and investments. However there are reiterated claims of human rights abuses by the security forces and repression of union organizations, which has tarnished Uribe’s international image particularly in the US Congress where a free trade agreement has been waiting for years the necessary votes for its approval.

The trade agreement is considered crucial by the US staunchest ally in South America.

Furthermore following the rash of presidential re-elections in Latinamerica which threaten institutions and democratic governance (and practiced mainly by Washington critics in the region: Venezuela, Bolivia, Ecuador and Nicaragua in process), the US is not enthusiastic about Uribe’s initiative and apparently President Barack Obama mentioned the issue during a recent meeting at the White House.