Colombia's lower House Oks re-election bill

BOGOTA – Colombia's lower House has approved a bill calling for a referendum on whether to change the constitution to allow President Alvaro Uribe to run for a third term.

Lawmakers have voted 85-5 with 76 abstentions in favor of the referendum. The bill, which has already passed the Senate, must now go to Colombia's Constitutional Court.

The referendum would ask voters if Colombia should modify its constitution to allow presidents to run for two consecutive re-elections. The constitution, which was already modified once to let Uribe run for a second four-year term, allows for a single immediate re-election.

Uribe has not yet said publicly if he will run again.

The Chamber of Representatives's secretariat announced the result early Wednesday.