In Defense of Judicial Populism: Lessons from Colombia
In 2005, the Colombian Constitutional Court upheld an amendment allowing presidential reelection. An extremely popular President elected for the 2002-2006 period, Álvaro Uribe, was behind the reform. The Court’s decision was highly controversial because one of the goals of the 1991 Constitution was to check the powers held by the Colombian President since 1886. For some, the Court’s decision was a concession to a populist authoritarian President that had dangerously concentrated power in his hands.((For a summary of the arguments opposing the constitutional reform see: Juan Sebastián Jiménez Herrera, ‘La reelección de Uribe fue inconstitucional e illegal’ in: El Espectador, ... continue reading
