Senate president Hernan Andrade said he is skeptical the referendum on
the 2010 aspirations of Colombian President Alvaro Uribe is going to
make it before the deadline.
In an interview with Caracol Radio, Andrade said he has done everything to meet the deadline, but that the problems in the House remain.
Both the House and the Senate have to appoint members of the commission that has the final vote over the bill, but coalition members in the House are afraid to take part in this vote after the Supreme Court announced to investigate the complaint the Representatives illegally had voted for the bill. All 86 coalition Representatives who voted in favor of the referendum risk being dismissed if the Court decided a court case is necessary.
Andrade Monday said that the ball is now in the court of the House, but that “the game” has been complicated because of the Court investigation.
The controversy is over the possibly illegal voting in favor of the referendum, because the vote was cast while the electoral council was still investigating possible fraud or mismanagement in the financing of the project.
This weekend, political supporters of Uribe and businessmen met in Cartagena to discuss the 2010 re-election of the President. The general feeling there too was that the referendum as on the table is not going to survive.
