Colombian President Alvaro Uribe said Tuesday he had left the question of his standing for a third term “in the hands of God.”
In an interview with a local radio station from the city of Monteria, the president said his re-election “will depend on the constitutional court, the people and God Our Lord.”
The president has so far refused to speak openly about his ambitions for the May elections, but his followers in Congress have approved a constitutional change allowing a president to serve three terms instead of two.
In the interview, Uribe again avoided explicitly expressing his intentions, but said Colombia needs to continue its current policy.
“What is clear to me … is that this country needs to maintain a policy of security, improving every day, maintaining a policy of promoting investment, improving every day, a social policy, improving every day. I invite all Colombians to not doubt staying on this track,” Uribe said.
The chances for a third term for Uribe are getting slimmer as the Constitutional Court has still not ruled whether it will allow a referendum calling for a constitutional change, there are only four months for the referendum to be held and approved before the election, and Uribe’s re-election is receiving less support among Colombians.