The referendum needed to re-elect President Uribe will definitely not
be voted on within this political term which ends Saturday. The final
vote will be held after parliamentary holiday.
Political supporters of the bill were openly concerned that the referendum would not make the deadline, because of delays in the congressional process and a Supreme Court investigation into coalition members, who allegedly illegally approved the bill.
According to Sanchez, his office had sent a report to the Electoral
Council wherein the Registry approves the validity of the 5 million
signatures that were gathered to push the initiative, but that in the
same report it says the organization had violated regulations on the
financing of the referendum. The Electoral Council is still officially
investigating the matter and can nullify the referendum, because of the
financial failures.
Colombia’s Interior and Justice Minister Fabio Valencia Cossio responded to these allegations that Sanchez is operating outside his duties. “If you read the Constitution, you will realize that the role of the Registry President is only to determine whether the signatures in a referendum are valid or not”, Valencia told El Espectador.
Facing all these obstacles, Colombia’s Congressmen lifted the vote to after the end of recess on July 20. “It can be
reconciled because it is an Ordinary Law which would oppose no
problem,” Valencia said.