Colombian President Alvaro Uribe is seeking a resounding vote of confidence in his policies in a referendum vote that, if unsuccessful, could cost him much-needed political clout as he tries to boost economic growth and keep rebels in check.
Uribe's popularity rating tops 70 percent -- unprecedented in this country beset by civil war, violence and poverty. But it remains to be seen whether voters will break a recent history of low turnouts, and this list of political initiatives must get the support of 25 percent of registered voters to pass.
The president has painted his referendum as the cure-all for Colombia's political system, saying it is a must to weed out corruption and clean up public finances. Opposition forces say it is unwieldy, if not useless.
"The referendum will not produce miracles," said Uribe in a televised address to the nation late Friday. "But this is a milestone Colombians will have to pass to overcome corruption and dirty politics, and give a boost to the fight against terrorism."
He said the leftist insurgency will be vanquished in Colombia only through "strong power and more and more democracy."
His 15-question referendum, due to be held yesterday, would reduce the size of congress from 268 to 218 seats, cap government spending and salaries for two years, and free up the cash he says he needs to beat drugs and guerrillas.
The finance ministry says that if it is passed, the measure could save the government US$10 billion through 2010.
Many critics of the referendum, from union leaders to leftists, and some in Uribe's own ruling Liberal Party, say it will hit the working class hard and will not derail corruption.
Independent political observer Pedro Medellin said Uribe was trying to use the vote to consolidate his own power.
"Voting in the referendum is equivalent to voting for Uribe," he argued.
The leftist Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) and National Liberation Army have publicly urged voters to stay away from the polls.
Uribe, in turn, has urged voters to "respond to terrorism with votes."
Regional and local elections are scheduled for today. Some analysts say that if Uribe shores up his support further, he may seize the chance to try to get congress to lift the ban on immediate re-election so he can stand again.
Bogota also could get a leftist mayor for the first time in its history. If union leader Luis Eduardo Garzon pulls off that kind of shift and takes the country's second most influential political post, it would dramatically change Colombia's political dynamics.
Anxious to forestall any possible guerrilla operations, the Colombian Air Force late on Friday launched an air raid on an encampment in southwestern Colombia believed to contain FARC rebels, an official said.
OUTRAGE: The former strongman was accused of corruption and responsibility for the killings of hundreds of thousands of political opponents during his time in office Indonesia yesterday awarded the title of national hero to late president Suharto, provoking outrage from rights groups who said the move was an attempt to whitewash decades of human rights abuses and corruption that took place during his 32 years in power. Suharto was a US ally during the Cold War who presided over decades of authoritarian rule, during which up to 1 million political opponents were killed, until he was toppled by protests in 1998. He was one of 10 people recognized by Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto in a televised ceremony held at the presidential palace in Jakarta to mark National
Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr yesterday vowed that those behind bogus flood control projects would be arrested before Christmas, days after deadly back-to-back typhoons left swathes of the country underwater. Scores of construction firm owners, government officials and lawmakers — including Marcos’ cousin congressman — have been accused of pocketing funds for substandard or so-called “ghost” infrastructure projects. The Philippine Department of Finance has estimated the nation’s economy lost up to 118.5 billion pesos (US$2 billion) since 2023 due to corruption in flood control projects. Criminal cases against most of the people implicated are nearly complete, Marcos told reporters. “We don’t file cases for
Ecuadorans are today to vote on whether to allow the return of foreign military bases and the drafting of a new constitution that could give the country’s president more power. Voters are to decide on the presence of foreign military bases, which have been banned on Ecuadoran soil since 2008. A “yes” vote would likely bring the return of the US military to the Manta air base on the Pacific coast — once a hub for US anti-drug operations. Other questions concern ending public funding for political parties, reducing the number of lawmakers and creating an elected body that would
LANDMARK: After first meeting Trump in Riyadh in May, al-Sharaa’s visit to the White House today would be the first by a Syrian leader since the country’s independence Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa arrived in the US on Saturday for a landmark official visit, his country’s state news agency SANA reported, a day after Washington removed him from a terrorism blacklist. Sharaa, whose rebel forces ousted long-time former Syrian president Bashar al-Assad late last year, is due to meet US President Donald Trump at the White House today. It is the first such visit by a Syrian president since the country’s independence in 1946, according to analysts. The interim leader met Trump for the first time in Riyadh during the US president’s regional tour in May. US envoy to Syria Tom Barrack earlier
RSS