The referendum needed for Colombian President Alvaro Uribe to run for a third term has lost the approval of the majority of Colombians, a poll published on Monday shows.
According to pollster Datexco, 47% of Colombians interviewed say they do not want a referendum, while 41% say they do.
Of those interviewed, 47.5% say they will take part in the referendum if the Constitutional Court allows it, while 43.7% say they will not.
"The majority of the people prefer there not to be a referendum, but if the Constitutional Court approves it, the majority will vote," Cesar Valderrama, general manager of Datexco, told newspaper El Tiempo.
The poll, held this weekend, shows that, even though Uribe remains the most popular candidate if he decides and is allowed to run, he can no longer count on a first round victory. The pollster reports that 46% of the Colombians said they would vote for the current president, which is a significant decrease compared to previous polls where Uribe could count on the support of more than 70% of Colombians.
If Uribe is not allowed or not willing to take part in the elections, former Medellin mayor Sergio Fajardo would be the front-runner, reports El Tiempo.
Supporters of Uribe are trying to use the referendum to force a constitutional change that will allow Uribe to run for a third term. The chances of this referendum being successfully held is becoming smaller, as the elections are in May and the Constitutional Court still has not ruled on whether it will allow the popular vote to be held.
Diehard
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... I guess was Lincoln who said that you can deceive some people all the time, or all the people, some times but you can't deceive all the time, everybody. This is exactly the Alvaro Uribe's case. He is a dangerous crook, a former collaborator of the deceased drug kingpin Pablo Escobar. Uribe 's also the cofounder of the right wing extremist groups of assassines called Convivir that later he transformed in Paramilitaries, real blood thirsty hyenas, culprits of 100,000 murders in just 7 years. Precisely, It's well known in Colombia that Uribe and his brother Santiago, sent those paramilitary groups to make a massacre in the peasant town called El Aro. Besides, Uribe has brought the most abhorrent corruption in the Colombia's history installing in key positions his pro-paramilitary friends and giving fake contracts of billion dollars to thousands of his financial supporters. Uribe wants to continue as President just for one reason. (Despite everyone knows he won the past elections with fraud and bribing key Congressmen) because he fears to have the same end. in a jail, as the Peruvian Fuyimori. Meanwhile Uribe is the Colombian President, it will be hard to prosecute him for all his crimes, because he controls and manipulates everything, using inclusive the assassination and death threats against his foes. The few brave that dared to denounce him, all have been murdered. |
tomtom33
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... From the other side... Uribe has done some great things for Colombia, and he has had his shortcomings. But Colombia must stand on her institutions and people, not on the shoulders of one man. |
