MY INTERVIEW WITH COLOMBIAN PRESIDENT URIBE - SHOULD HE RUN AGAIN OR NOT?
In my interview with Colombian President Alvaro Uribe, I asked him five times whether he will run for a third term in office. Five times, he didn't answer.
In my Sunday, April 27 column, I cited the reasons why I think Uribe would make a big mistake by trying to reform the constitution and run for a third term (you can read the column here.) Now, you can read the full transcript of the interview here. What do you think? Do you agree with me, or not?
In my Sunday, April 27 column, I cited the reasons why I think Uribe would make a big mistake by trying to reform the constitution and run for a third term (you can read the column here.) Now, you can read the full transcript of the interview here. What do you think? Do you agree with me, or not?
posted by Andres Oppenheimer at 11:51 AM
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3 Comments:
I think is a terrible mistake to seek the third term and another proof that democracy is extremely weak in Latin America. People still don't understand the spirit of democracy and the two terms period.
Nope, two terms for eight years is enough of any leader, anywhere, in my opinion....
I think Uribe should begin the process of teaching Colombians how to cultivate a class of leaders who can demonstrate the ability to overcome the burdens of recent Colombian history that plagued his predecessors -- Andrés Pastrana comes immediately to mind -- and who can continue the twin offensives of moving against the FARC and the legal processes of the demobilization of the Paras.
It is less about moving Uribe aside than it is about guaranteeing responsible democratic continuity after he eventually leaves office. Uribe's record is a notable one. Perhaps no other Latin American leader of very recent memory, with the possible exception of Vicente Fox, can claim to have done so much good for his country. Uribe needs to finish the job by training someone to take his place and instill within the Colombian people the knowledge that they must place their trust in the country's democratic institutions, not political personalities.
StJacques
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