MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Mexico’s Lower House on Thursday approved a constitutional reform that would allow for referendums to cut short the six-year presidential term, a move opposition lawmakers say opens the door to allowing re-election to the nation’s highest office.

Mexico's President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador speaks to the media during a news conference to announce a plan to strengthen finances of state oil firm Pemex, at the National Palace in Mexico City, Mexico February 15, 2019. REUTERS/Henry Romero

President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, who took office on Dec. 1, said during the campaign that he would hold a referendum on his performance at the middle of his term and would cut it short if he loses the consultation.

Lopez Obrador’s MORENA party and its allies hold majorities in both chambers of Congress. The constitutional reform received the required support of two thirds of lawmakers in the Lower House. It now goes to the Senate for discussion and a vote.

“These changes will allow the Executive (branch) an intense political campaign in a shameless way in 2021 just when this chamber and 13 governorships are renewed,” said opposition lawmaker Xavier Azuara, from the PAN party.

It is a “path to re-election,” Azuara said.

Recent polls have shown Lopez Obrador has the support of almost four out of every five voters.

The constitutional reform also makes it easier to hold popular referendums, which Lopez Obrador has used to put infrastructure projects and other social programs to a vote by citizens.

That practice has riled markets since the leftist party swept to power last year.

In October, Lopez Obrador pulled the plug on a part-built, $13 billion new airport for the capital after citizens voted down the project.

Only about 1 percent of the Mexican electorate participated in the referendum, and critics slammed the process as unfair. Mexico’s stock exchange and peso tumbled after the decision was announced. </s> Protesters stormed and set fire to Paraguay's Congress on Friday after the Senate secretly voted for a constitutional amendment that would allow President Horacio Cartes to run for re-election, a change that will also require approval by the Lower House. The country's constitution has prohibited re-election since it was passed in 1992 after a brutal dictatorship fell in 1989.

A congressional coup has been carried out. We will resist and we invite the people to resist with us, said Senator Desiree Masi from the opposition Progressive Democratic Party.

Television images showed protesters breaking windows of the Congress after several hours of escalating violence and confrontations with police. Demonstrators burned tires and removed parts of the fences surrounding the Congress building. At first the police said it was unable to contain protestors but finally special forces in riot gear responded by lobbing tear gas and firing rubber bullets.

Several politicians and journalists were injured, local media reported, and Interior Minister Tadeo Rojas said many police were hurt. An opposition member of Congress was undergoing surgery after being shot in the face by riot police.

The number of casualties was unknown. Several people were inside Congress as the flames spread. Television images showed firefighters arriving on foot to fight the blaze.

The Senate voted earlier on Friday during a special secret session in a closed office in Congress rather than on the Senate floor. Twenty-five lawmakers voted for the measure, two more than the 23 required for passage in the 45-member upper chamber.

Opponents of the measure, who claim it would weaken Paraguay's democratic institutions, said the vote was illegal.

The proposal goes to the House, where it appeared to have strong support. A vote expected to take place early on Saturday was called off until the situation calmed down, said the chamber's President Hugo Velazquez.

I call for calm, Velazquez said. Tomorrow we will not take any decision; we will not hold a session.

Several Latin American countries, including Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay and Chile, prevent presidents from running for consecutive terms in a region where the memories of military dictatorships remain ripe.

Others, including Colombia and Venezuela, have changed their constitutions to give sitting presidents a one chance at re-election.

Paraguay's measure would apply to future presidents and Cartes, a soft-drink and tobacco mogul elected to a five-year term in 2013.

His strongest backers want him to be allowed to run for another term next year, but critics of the measure have said a constitutional change aimed at benefiting a sitting president would be unfair.

The change would also apply to former President Fernando Lugo, whose supporters want to be allowed to run for another term.

Everything was done legally, said Senator Carlos Filizzola of the leftist Guasu Front coalition, which supports the constitutional amendment as a way of allowing Lugo to return as Paraguay's leader.

The irony is that Lugo, a former bishop elected by a catchall coalition was removed from office following charges of incompetence by the Senate in 2012. The Senate had a working majority of the hegemonic Colorado party that has dominated Paraguayan politics for decades.

In fresh presidential elections, 2013, the Colorado party candidate Horacio Cartes was the clear winner. Now the left leaning party headed by Lugo and the conservative incumbent Colorado have agreed to amend the constitution.

Paraguay's constitution has prohibited re-election since it was passed in 1992 after a several decades brutal dictatorship fell in 1989.

President Cartes called for calm and a rejection of violence in a statement released on Twitter. Democracy is not conquered or defended with violence and you can be sure this government will continue to put its best effort into maintaining order in the republic, he said, adding We must not allow a few barbarians to destroy the peace, tranquility and general well-being of the Paraguayan people.

The unrest coincides with a rare high-level international event in the landlocked country. Thousands of businessmen and government officials descended on Asuncion this week for the Inter-American Development Bank's annual board of governors meeting.

While Paraguay long suffered from political uncertainty, the soy- and beef-exporting nation has been attracting investment in agriculture and manufacturing sectors in recent years as Cartes offered tax breaks to foreign investors.

Instability in the country of 6.8 million is a concern for its much larger neighbors Brazil and Argentina. </s> Protesters set fires in Paraguay’s congress after senators approved a proposed constitutional amendment that would allow the election of a president to a second term, a move called illegal by opposition members and opposed by the senate president.

The vote on Friday was followed by clashes outside the congress building between police and protesters opposing the amendment. Some protesters broke through police lines and entered the first floor, where they set fire to papers and furniture. Police used water cannon and fired rubber bullets to drive demonstrators away from the building while firefighters extinguished blazes inside.

The measure was backed by 25 of the country’s 45 senators. The yes votes came from members of the governing Colorado party and from several opposition groups.

Opponents of the move included senate president, Roberto Acevedo, of the opposition Authentic Radical Liberal party. He argued the process used to bring the amendment to a vote violated senate rules and he filed an appeal to the supreme court seeking to have the vote overturned.

The proposal would allow the current president, Horacio Cartes, and Paraguay’s previous presidents to run for the top job again in the 2018 election. Presidents are currently limited to a single five-year term.

After approval in the senate, the proposal went to the chamber of deputies, where 44 of the 80 members belong to the Colorado party. Approval there would require the scheduling of a national referendum on the amendment. </s> Peruvian Prime Minister Salvador Del Solar speaks to Congress as he asks for the approval to reform political bills in Lima

LIMA (Reuters) - Peru's Congress readied itself on Wednesday to take a confidence vote on the government, a vote called by President Martin Vizcarra as part of his effort to pressure lawmakers to pass his anti-graft program.

Debate in the unicameral legislature began on Tuesday and was suspended late at night after more than nine hours of argument. Lawmakers resumed the debate on Wednesday.

If the opposition-controlled Congress votes "no confidence," Vizcarra's cabinet would be dissolved and he could invoke a constitutional measure authorizing him to dissolve Congress and call new legislative elections.

The president's proposals include measures aimed at cleaning up campaign financing and ending parliamentary immunity from prosecution. But his reforms have languished in committee and the opposition has shelved or voted down other proposals. </s> LIMA (Reuters) – Peru’s Congress was set to continue debate on Wednesday ahead of a confidence vote on the government called by President Martin Vizcarra as part of his effort to pressure lawmakers to pass his anti-graft proposals.

Debate in the unicameral legislature began on Tuesday and was suspended late in the evening after more than nine hours of argument. It was scheduled to resume early on Wednesday.

If the opposition-controlled Congress votes “no confidence,” Vizcarra could invoke a constitutional measure that would authorize him to dissolve Congress and call new legislative elections.

“It is urgent to save our democracy from corruption. It is urgent to prevent people who are guilty of criminal offenses from representing us. It is urgent to promote the strengthening of political parties,” Prime Minister Salvador Del Solar, a Vizcarra ally, said at the start of the debate.

Under Peru’s constitution, if Congress fails to grant a vote of confidence in a government twice, the president can dissolve Congress. The current Congress has already issued a vote of no-confidence once during this government — in 2017, when Vizcarra was vice president.

The heightened tensions between Congress and the president have ushered in a new period of political uncertainty in one of Latin America’s most stable economies.

Vizcarra’s threat triggered immediate cries of “coup” from allies of opposition lawmakers and could stir some debate over its legality, potentially distracting the government from efforts to mediate disputes over mining and oil operations and to pass a labor reform package.

Vizcarra’s proposals include measures aimed at cleaning up campaign financing, strengthening political parties and ending parliamentary immunity from prosecution.

But his political reform package has languished in committee discussions and the opposition has shelved or voted down other proposals. </s> ASUNCION, Paraguay (AP) - Violent clashes erupted between police and protesters outside Paraguay's congress after senators approved a constitutional amendment to allow a president to run for a second term. Some protesters broke through police lines and entered the first floor, setting fire to papers and furniture.

Police late Friday used water cannon and fired rubber bullets to drive demonstrators away from the building while firefighters extinguished blazes inside.

The protests broke out after a majority of Paraguayan senators approved the amendment, a move called illegal by opposition members and opposed by the Senate president himself.

People ram a barrier into the Congress building during clashes between police and protesters opposing an approved proposed constitutional amendment that would allow the election of a president to a second term, in Asuncion, Paraguay, Friday, March 31, 2017. Some protesters broke through police lines and entered the first floor, where they set fire to papers and furniture. Police used water cannon and fired rubber bullets to drive demonstrators away from the building while firefighters extinguished blazes inside. (AP Photo/Jorge Saenz)

The measure was backed by 25 of the country's 45 senators. The yes votes came from members of the governing Colorado Party and from several opposition groups.

Opponents of the move included Senate President Roberto Acevedo of the opposition Authentic Radical Liberal Party. He argued the process used to bring the amendment to a vote violated Senate rules and he filed an appeal to the Supreme Court seeking to have the vote overturned.

The proposal would allow current President Horacio Cartes and Paraguay's previous presidents to run for the top job again in the 2018 election. Presidents are now limited to a single 5-year term.

After approval in the Senate, the proposal went to the Chamber of Deputies, where 44 of the 80 members belong to the Colorado Party. Approval there would require the scheduling of a national referendum on the amendment.

A demonstrator holds a sign that reads in Spanish " No to the coup" during a protest against the project to change the country's constitution, in Asuncion, Paraguay, Thursday, March 30, 2017. The country's upper house of Congress is split over a proposal to amend the constitution and allow for the re-election of former presidents. (AP Photo/Jorge Saenz)

People chant slogans outside the Congress building during clashes between police and protesters opposing an approved proposed constitutional amendment that would allow the election of a president to a second term, in Asuncion, Paraguay, Friday, March 31, 2017. Some protesters broke through police lines and entered the first floor, where they set fire to papers and furniture. Police used water cannon and fired rubber bullets to drive demonstrators away from the building while firefighters extinguished blazes inside. (AP Photo/Jorge Saenz) </s> LIMA (Reuters) - Peruvian President Martin Vizcarra on Sunday proposed ending the legislative and presidential terms of office a year earlier than scheduled and holding elections in 2020 in the face of opposition to his efforts to pass anti-corruption measures.

Peru's President Martin Vizcarra delivers his annual address in Congress, in Lima, Peru July 28, 2019. Peruvian Presidency/Handout via REUTERS

Opposition lawmakers immediately condemned the proposal, saying it created uncertainty and fuelled political conflict.

In his traditional independence day holiday speech, Vizcarra said the proposal will be presented to Congress and must be ratified in a referendum.

“I present to Congress a constitutional reform for the advancement of general elections, which implies cutting the congressional and presidential term to July 28, 2020,” he said.

Pedro Olaechea, leader of the opposition-controlled Congress, said the legislature would defend the institutional framework of the five-year term.

“We do not aim to hold on to our positions, but to defend the institution and the legislative power,” Olaechea said.

In June, Peru’s government won a confidence vote that Vizcarra asked for as part of his effort to pressure the legislature into approving a reform package that includes measures aimed at cleaning up campaign financing and curbing lawmakers’ immunity from prosecution.

“Our bill proposed that another independent body be responsible for determining whether congressmen may or may not be tried and detained. Where is the confidence that Congress has supposedly granted us to work on anti-corruption policy?” Vizcarra said.

Vizcarra said in his address that many people had told him during his travels through Peru in the last year that they do not feel represented by Congress and asked him to shut it down.

Parties that expressed opposition to the proposal included the right-wing Popular Force party, whose leader, Keiko Fujimori, has been detained in an investigation into alleged corruption.

Lawmakers who support Vizcarra’s government and some independents expressed approval of the idea, however.

A business-friendly former vice president, Vizcarra took office a little over a year ago after his predecessor resigned in disgrace - one of several politicians entangled in a bribery probe involving Brazilian builder Odebrecht.[ODBES.UL] </s> Men pose for a photo outside the congress building during clashes between police and protesters opposing an approved proposed constitutional amendment that would allow the election of a president to a second term in Asuncion Paraguay on Friday. Protesters stormed Paraguay's congress on Friday and set it on fire after senators approved a surprise measure that would allow presidents of the South American nation to be re-elected.

Start the conversation, or Read more at Bangkok Post. </s> LIMA, June 5 (Reuters) - Peru's Congress readied itself on Wednesday to take a confidence vote on the government, a vote called by President Martin Vizcarra as part of his effort to pressure lawmakers to pass his anti-graft program.

Debate in the unicameral legislature began on Tuesday and was suspended late at night after more than nine hours of argument. Lawmakers resumed the debate on Wednesday.

If the opposition-controlled Congress votes "no confidence," Vizcarra's cabinet would be dissolved and he could invoke a constitutional measure authorizing him to dissolve Congress and call new legislative elections.

The president's proposals include measures aimed at cleaning up campaign financing and ending parliamentary immunity from prosecution. But his reforms have languished in committee and the opposition has shelved or voted down other proposals. (Reporting by Marco Aquino, writing by Hugh Bronstein; Editing by David Gregorio)
Lawmakers in Mexico's lower chamber of Congress approve a constitutional reform that would allow for recall referendums to cut short the six-year presidential term limit; the measure still needs the approval of the Senate and the state legislatures.