Colombia court rules against referendum on President Uribe seeking ele

Colombia's constitutional Court shut the door Friday on President of Colombia Alvaro Uribe's aspirations for a third straight term, ruling unconstitutional a law that would have let voters decide in a referendum whether he could run again.

The high court's 7-2 decision is not subject to appeal. The court ruled on a law passed by Congress that would have set up a referendum asking voters whether Colombia's conservative president, a U.S. ally, could run again.

Uribe is hugely popular for seriously weakening leftist rebels, but he has also been widely criticized by human rights activists for allying himself with politicians who collaborated closely with far-right death squads.

In announcing the ruling after seven hours of deliberations, the Constututional Court's president, Mauricio Gonzalez, said justices found a number of irregularities in the passage of the law on the referendum for a third term. He said that taken together, the anomalies amounted to "a grave violation of democratic principles like transparency and voter rights."

Influential Colombians from leading NGO`s and Think Tanks `s had opposed a third term for Uribe - because they said a third term would hurt democratic stability.

Colombia's Uribe blocked from re-election, citizen celebrate on streets of Bogotá, around the Court.

The court's decision launched a tough race among rivals seeking to replace Uribe in the country's May 30 presidential elections.

Colombia's constitutional Court shut the door Friday on President of Colombia Alvaro Uribe's aspirations for a third straight term, ruling unconstitutional a law that would have let voters decide in a referendum whether he could run again.

The high court's 7-2 decision is not subject to appeal. The court ruled on a law passed by Congress that would have set up a referendum asking voters whether Colombia's conservative president, a U.S. ally, could run again.

Uribe is hugely popular for seriously weakening leftist rebels, but he has also been widely criticized by human rights activists for allying himself with politicians who collaborated closely with far-right death squads.

In announcing the ruling after seven hours of deliberations, the Constututional Court's president, Mauricio Gonzalez, said justices found a number of irregularities in the passage of the law on the referendum for a third term. He said that taken together, the anomalies amounted to "a grave violation of democratic principles like transparency and voter rights."

Influential Colombians from leading NGO`s and Think Tanks `s had opposed a third term for Uribe - because they said a third term would hurt democratic stability.

Colombia's Uribe blocked from re-election, citizen celebrate on streets of Bogotá, around the Court.

The court's decision launched a tough race among rivals seeking to replace Uribe in the country's May 30 presidential elections.

Colombia's constitutional Court shut the door Friday on President of Colombia Alvaro Uribe's aspirations for a third straight term, ruling unconstitutional a law that would have let voters decide in a referendum whether he could run again.

The high court's 7-2 decision is not subject to appeal. The court ruled on a law passed by Congress that would have set up a referendum asking voters whether Colombia's conservative president, a U.S. ally, could run again.

Uribe is hugely popular for seriously weakening leftist rebels, but he has also been widely criticized by human rights activists for allying himself with politicians who collaborated closely with far-right death squads.

In announcing the ruling after seven hours of deliberations, the Constututional Court's president, Mauricio Gonzalez, said justices found a number of irregularities in the passage of the law on the referendum for a third term. He said that taken together, the anomalies amounted to "a grave violation of democratic principles like transparency and voter rights."

Influential Colombians from leading NGO`s and Think Tanks `s had opposed a third term for Uribe - because they said a third term would hurt democratic stability.

Colombia's Uribe blocked from re-election, citizen celebrate on streets of Bogotá, around the Court.

The court's decision launched a tough race among rivals seeking to replace Uribe in the country's May 30 presidential elections.

Colombia's constitutional Court shut the door Friday on President of Colombia Alvaro Uribe's aspirations for a third straight term, ruling unconstitutional a law that would have let voters decide in a referendum whether he could run again.

The high court's 7-2 decision is not subject to appeal. The court ruled on a law passed by Congress that would have set up a referendum asking voters whether Colombia's conservative president, a U.S. ally, could run again.

Uribe is hugely popular for seriously weakening leftist rebels, but he has also been widely criticized by human rights activists for allying himself with politicians who collaborated closely with far-right death squads.

In announcing the ruling after seven hours of deliberations, the Constututional Court's president, Mauricio Gonzalez, said justices found a number of irregularities in the passage of the law on the referendum for a third term. He said that taken together, the anomalies amounted to "a grave violation of democratic principles like transparency and voter rights."

Influential Colombians from leading NGO`s and Think Tanks `s had opposed a third term for Uribe - because they said a third term would hurt democratic stability.

Colombia's Uribe blocked from re-election, citizen celebrate on streets of Bogotá, around the Court.

The court's decision launched a tough race among rivals seeking to replace Uribe in the country's May 30 presidential elections.

Colombia's constitutional Court shut the door Friday on President of Colombia Alvaro Uribe's aspirations for a third straight term, ruling unconstitutional a law that would have let voters decide in a referendum whether he could run again.

The high court's 7-2 decision is not subject to appeal. The court ruled on a law passed by Congress that would have set up a referendum asking voters whether Colombia's conservative president, a U.S. ally, could run again.

Uribe is hugely popular for seriously weakening leftist rebels, but he has also been widely criticized by human rights activists for allying himself with politicians who collaborated closely with far-right death squads.

In announcing the ruling after seven hours of deliberations, the Constututional Court's president, Mauricio Gonzalez, said justices found a number of irregularities in the passage of the law on the referendum for a third term. He said that taken together, the anomalies amounted to "a grave violation of democratic principles like transparency and voter rights."

Influential Colombians from leading NGO`s and Think Tanks `s had opposed a third term for Uribe - because they said a third term would hurt democratic stability.

Colombia's Uribe blocked from re-election, citizen celebrate on streets of Bogotá, around the Court.

The court's decision launched a tough race among rivals seeking to replace Uribe in the country's May 30 presidential elections.

Colombia's constitutional Court shut the door Friday on President of Colombia Alvaro Uribe's aspirations for a third straight term, ruling unconstitutional a law that would have let voters decide in a referendum whether he could run again.

The high court's 7-2 decision is not subject to appeal. The court ruled on a law passed by Congress that would have set up a referendum asking voters whether Colombia's conservative president, a U.S. ally, could run again.

Uribe is hugely popular for seriously weakening leftist rebels, but he has also been widely criticized by human rights activists for allying himself with politicians who collaborated closely with far-right death squads.

In announcing the ruling after seven hours of deliberations, the Constututional Court's president, Mauricio Gonzalez, said justices found a number of irregularities in the passage of the law on the referendum for a third term. He said that taken together, the anomalies amounted to "a grave violation of democratic principles like transparency and voter rights."

Influential Colombians from leading NGO`s and Think Tanks `s had opposed a third term for Uribe - because they said a third term would hurt democratic stability.

Colombia's Uribe blocked from re-election, citizen celebrate on streets of Bogotá, around the Court.

The court's decision launched a tough race among rivals seeking to replace Uribe in the country's May 30 presidential elections.