Ecuador court clears Correa referendum plan

[Judi Lynn]

Ecuador court clears Correa referendum plan
Published on 16 February 2011 - 6:30am

Ecuador's Constitutional Court has cleared a raft of controversial reforms proposed by President Rafael Correa to be submitted to referendum.

The proposed reforms, which Correa argues will help fight crime and better regulate the economy, have come in for fierce political opposition.

"The proposals to amend the constitution got the green light (from the court) and it's now up to the president to make a final decision," Chief Justice Patricio Pazmino told reporters.

The court reformulated two of the questions on the referendum, he added, without elaborating.

Correa, a leftist economist by training, submitted questions for a popular referendum to the Constitutional Court to verify its legality before it could be approved by the Electoral Council.

More:
http://www.rnw.nl/english/bulletin/ecuador-court-clears-correa-referendum-plan