Costa Rica May Elect
First Woman President
Although Laura Chinchilla has sat in the
presidential chairs on various occasions, as
vice-president filling in for president
Oscar Arias while he was away from Costa
Rica, she was not elected at the time,
Chinchilla could be elected the first woman
president come Sunday.
Opinion polls all indicate that Chinchilla,
a protégé
of outgoing president Arias could take the
majority vote tomorrow, but may face strong
challenge by two rivals, Otto Guevara and
Ottón Solís, who could very well force a
second round run-off vote.
Although Guevara is at least 10 pointes
behind Chinchilla and Solís even more, the
final vote could be anything but an assured
win by Chinchilla, who has to obtain at
least 40% of the votes to avoid a run-off
election in April.
While Guevara promises change, Chinchilla is
riding on the stability of Costa Rica,
earning a reputation for
environmental friendliness and peacemaking
under Arias, who won the Nobel Peace Prize
in 1987 for his role in ending regional
civil wars. He is now serving his second
presidential term.
Chinchilla also brings experience in
government with her, not only holding the
vice-presidency until resigning last year to
run for the presidency, but has been said to
have been the best Security minister, a post
she held several years back.
Some say the financial crisis would have been worse
if Arias hadn't been there and Chinchilla
will give continuity to what many Costa
Rican believe to have been a good fours
years of government.
Costa Rica's economy, driven by coffee,
pineapples and tourism, is seen returning to
growth above 3 percent in 2010.
Chinchilla promises to continue Arias'
economic policies, expanding free-trade
pacts and courting foreign investment.
Guevara, a Harvard-educated lawyer and
founder of the pro-business Libertarian
Movement, wants to get tough on crime with
longer jail terms and softer gun laws, and
has eaten into Chinchilla's lead with a
surge in support since September.
Costa Rica has enjoyed faster growth than
most of its neighbors through free trade and
attracting new industries.
Its export-driven economy is seen rebounding
as tourism rebounds and recovers for its
coffee, fruit and electronic goods like
microchips. A swelling budget deficit could
exceed 4 percent of gross domestic product
this year, however.
To sustain growth foreign analysts want a
new president to tackle the red-tape that
holds back business investment and improve
infrastructure, particularly the Caribbean
port of Limon which is a bottleneck for
exports.
Costa Rica has no army, sees little of the
street gang violence that plagues its
neighbors and boasts some of the world's
greenest energy credentials. It was ranked
No. 1 last year in a "Happy Planet" Index,
or HPI, published by a British think tank
that combines measures of a country's
ecological footprint with citizen happiness
and life expectancy.
Costa Rica avoided the bloody cold war-era
strife that tore apart much of Central
America and whose effects linger to this
day. Covered with lush, wildlife-filled
jungles and volcanoes, it is a major pull
for eco-tourists and surfers, and home to
thousands of U.S. and Canadian retirees. |
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