The only roadblock left to the bill becoming law is the Constitutional Court, which recently struck down a measure pushed by Uribe to toughen anti-terrorism laws after it was already approved Congress. The court will now review the election measure.

The re-election bill would allow presidents to run for a second, four-year term. Under current law, Uribe, a strong U.S. ally cannot run in the 2006 election. He has been hugely popular in Colombia, with an approval rating that has hovered around 75 percent since he took office in 2002.

The bill easily easily surpassed the 84 votes needed in a marathon session in the lower House of Representatives that ended late Tuesday, said Interior Minister Sabas Pretelt. The bill has been approved by the Senate.

The president's backers began pushing the re-election bill last year, claiming he needs more time to end the rebel conflict.