Alvaro Uribe Eligible for Third Term, As Colombia Moves Further Away from "Democracy"

Taking a page from its neighbor and sometimes-rival, Venezuela, Colombia's Senate has removed the 2-term limit for president, opening the path for a potential third term for Alvaro Uribe. Of course, if this were Chavez, there would be all kinds of rumbling and grumbling about "democracy" and "dictatorships" and "violence," but since it's Uribe, something tells me such criticisms will be much more muted despite the factif Uribe has been tied to more death squads than Chavez ever was. Still, this move is already raising question marks, and Michael Striffler has a good editorial about how this is as bad for democracy not only in Colombia, but potentially in other parts of Latin America, too. The fact that this could go through, and Uribe could be elected to a third term, is awful for democracy, human rights, and reducing violence in Colombia.