U.S. President Barack Obama Wednesday sent a letter to Colombian President Alvaro Uribe, commending the U.S. ally for his graceful acceptance of the Colombian Constitutional Court’s rejection of a referendum that would have allowed Uribe to pursue a third term in power.
In the letter, Obama applauded Uribe for providing “an invaluable example to all citizens, including presidents, in the acceptance of the law and the acceptance of the decisions of democratic institutions.”
The letter was delivered to Uribe in a meeting with Obama’s National Security Advisor James Jones in Chile, El Tiempo reported Thursday.
Following the delivery of the letter, Jones congratulated the people of Colombia for the country’s “democratic stability.”
Uribe sought to run for a third term as president, which is prohibited under the Colombian constitution. The Constitutional Court studied the referendum bill proposing that Uribe be allowed to run for his second re-election and found it to be unconstitutional.