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Is Costa Rica ready for a woman president?
Abel Pacheco de la Espriella is the current president
of Costa Rica, duly
elected to a four-year term in office last April,
after a second round
vote, a first time occurence in this country. On the same ticket were the names of Lineth Saborio
and Luis Fishman as first and second Vice Presidents
respectively.
Costa Rica has two Vice Presidents.
As an elder Tico explained to me, the Vice President in Costa Rica is not much more than an
ordinary citizen. However, in the event that the President becomes
permanently incapable of fulfilling his mandate, then the Vice President
"jumps", as worded by the old man, from
just an ordinary citizen to President.
And to sell the idea politically to the masses, he
added, Vice Presidents
are given some official duties so that in the event he
or she should be
vaulted to office, the public would have some
recognition of who their new
leader is.
But why two Vice Presidents? This is a question
that cannot be answered clearly, with any certainty or logic. One explanation could be the
case in which the Vice President who became President, befell a similar fate as the
President who was replaced. There would be no need for elections because the
duties would go to the elected second Vice President. Did you get all that?
Given all of thit, Lineth Saborio is the Vice
President with official
capacity, performing some function here and there,
while Luis Fishman, who
has fallen out of favor with President Abel
Pacheco is, well, second Vice
President.
The Pacheco presidency started off with a bang,
promising hope and
prosperity for the average 'Tico', with his folksy
style and brutal honesty.
He was to be the president who eradicated corruption
in all anals of Costa
Rican politics and government institutions.
Since then, that shiny armor has tarnished. Three
ministers resigned or were
forced out. Four Jefes, or heads, of institutions
suffered the same fate. Abel
Pacheco has become a very unpopular president with
many; Ticos and
foreigners alike.
His words and comments to the press have angered many
foreigners, especially the group of investors of the ill fated investment
houses of Villalobos and Savings Unlimited, whom he called " foolish ".
Among Ticos his popularity if fading fast as the
government struggles to
find new sources of cash to meet its debts, by raising
all sorts of taxes,
some new, but also some old that were never
collected. There is the Riteve situation, the vehicle
revision program, that touches many people in a
personal way. The Central Bank has been considering the devaluation
of the Colon, which some say will have a drastic negative impact on the economy.
And, then there is the question of his health. His
advanced age is a major factor. At 69 years of age, he has on occasion shown that the
stress of the job can be overwhelming. And some will say, although they are the
critics, that he does not have all his mental faculties in order.
So, if Pacheco for some reason should become
permanently unable to
complete his mandate, Lineth
Saborio will become President.
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