President Alvaro Uribe is calling for congress to
approve a referendum on whether to restage the 2006 presidential elections. His
shock announcement came after longstanding tension with the supreme court boiled
over last week in the wake of the court's conviction of a former congresswoman
for accepting bribes to vote in favour of a constitutional amendment in 2004 to
permit Uribe to run for a second term in office. Uribe, who openly questioned
the impartiality of the judges, said he had no choice but to call fresh
elections to legitimise his tenure. The opposition accused him of setting up a
populist dictatorship to circumvent Colombia's institutions.End of preview - This article contains approximately 1188 words.
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