Bolivian lawmakers OK pact to vote on constitution

(CNN) -- Bolivia's Congress approved an agreement Tuesday between the government and opposition leaders to hold a referendum on a constitution that would grant more power to the nation's Indian majority, the state news agency said.

To spur the negotiations, President Evo Morales agreed to seek only one more term as Bolivia's president, according to the Bolivian Information Agency, known as ABI.

The president told a throng of supporters Monday that all sides had agreed to hold a referendum on the proposed charter on January 25. The agreement came as thousands of Morales supporters crowded into a plaza in La Paz to show support for the proposed constitution.

Morales and his supporters maintained their vigil in the plaza Tuesday as they awaited the congressional vote.

The Congress took up the measure at 7 p.m. Monday and held a marathon session through the night and into Tuesday.

More than two-thirds of members present voted for the measure, ABI said.

The agreement follows weeks of negotiations between the central government of Morales, Bolivia's first leader from an Indian majority centered in the western highlands, and political opponents who include the governors of largely white provinces in the east who want autonomy.

Both sides have been trying to settle differences involving the distribution of oil and gas revenue, autonomy for eastern states and Morales' plans for the new constitution.

The talks began after at least 30 people were killed in clashes between supporters of the two sides in September.

Opposition leaders and government officials reached an agreement Monday on the referendum and on plans to hold national elections in December 2009, ABI said.

Morales could run for re-election in 2009 and would serve a five-year term if elected. But he has agreed not to run again in 2014 if he wins in 2009, Sen. Felix Rojas of the governing party told the news agency.

An opposition leader, Luis Vasquez, was quoted by the news agency as saying the agreement contributed substantially to "the pacification of the country."

There was no word of an agreement on other controversial issues, such as the eastern governors' request for autonomy, and news reports said negotiations continued on those topics.

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