ELECTORAL COUNCIL RULES THAT ONE REFERENDUM ITEM

id: 13088
date: 1/7/2004 15:01
refid: 04BOGOTA111
origin: Embassy Bogota
classification: CONFIDENTIAL
destination: 04BOGOTA12002
header:
This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.




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C O N F I D E N T I A L BOGOTA 000111

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/04/2014
TAGS: EFIN PGOV PHUM PINR CO GOV
SUBJECT: ELECTORAL COUNCIL RULES THAT ONE REFERENDUM ITEM
WAS APPROVED

REF: BOGOTA 12002

Classified By: Ambassador William B. Wood for reasons 1.5 (b)
and (d).


1. (U) On January 2, the National Electoral Council (CNE)
released the official results of the October 25 political and
economic reform referendum. The CNE concluded that one of
fifteen referendum items met the twenty-five percent
registered voter threshold required for approval. Item One,
which bans politicians convicted of corruption from holding
political office, passed by a margin of 26,364 votes.


2. (C) Several other items failed by only small margins, such
as a proposal to eliminate the appointment of alternates for
board members of public corporations, which fell just 6,365
votes short. Colombians for the Referendum (CPR),a pro-GOC
civic action group, and the recently organized "New Party,"
which supports President Uribe, plan to contest the CNE's
decision that only one item of the referendum passed. The
case will be heard by the Council of State, the highest
administrative court in the country, in the second week of
January, although it is unlikely to succeed (reftel).
WOOD

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