Colombian Congress blocks Uribe's third presidential bid

Bogota, Oct 30 (IANS) Colombia's Congress, the lower house of parliament, has turned down a proposed constitutional amendment that would have allowed President Alvaro Uribe to seek a third consecutive term in 2010, EFE reported Thursday

Uribe still has the option of calling a referendum on changing the national charter, as his supporters have already collected enough signatures needed to hold a plebiscite.

Most Latin American nations require their presidents to sit out a term before seeking a second mandate, while Mexico's head of state may serve only one term.

The Colombian constitution was amended in 2005 to permit Uribe to seek a second four-year mandate.