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. -------------- header ends -------------- 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 =======================CABLE ENDS============================