Colombian Constitutional Court Says "No" to President Uribe´s Second Reelection

Last Friday, the Colombian Constitutional Court announced that President Uribe would not be allowed to run for his second reelection. At the end of 2009, Congress had passed a law calling for a referendum on whether Presidents were to be allowed for a third consecutive term. The decison of the Court against the referendum was a 7-2 vote. When announcing the decision, the President of the Court read a press release that explained that many anomalies had taken place - for instance, the fact that much more than was allowed by law was spent in the campaign for the referendum. The press release also stated that allowing for a third consecutive term would violate the doctrine of separation of powers and that of checks and balances. I have not read the decision, but I´m sure that this is a historical decision in Latin American constitutionalism and will have decisive effects on the Colombian political landscape.