Bogota, Colombia ? Colombian President Alvaro Uribe said Wednesday that he won’t stand in the way of a close ally in next year’s election, despite efforts by his backers to amend the constitution to let him seek a third term.

In an interview with The Associated Press, Uribe refused to rule out another run for the presidency, but suggested he’ll give someone else a chance to continue his legacy.

“There are some close allies who are making and are going to make a big push to win the people’s favor and get to the presidency,” Uribe said. “I wouldn’t be the person to frustrate those efforts.”

In an interview in the “Yellow Room” of his presidential palace, Uribe said he isn’t concerned about remaining in power personally, but that he wants to ensure that any successor would continue his military crackdown on leftist rebels, which has brought down kidnapping and murder rates and made Colombia attractive to foreign investment.