Costa Rica
Prepares For Its
First Woman
President
Come noon on
Saturday, Laura
Chinchilla will
be sworn in as
Costa Rica's
first woman
president, in a
ceremony that is
expected to
attract tens of
thousands of
Costa Ricans and
the world.
Attending the
event include
the presidents
of Colombia,
Alvaro Uribe;
Mexico's, Felipe
Calderón;
Spain's,
Príncipe de
Asturias;
presidents from
Central America;
and
representatives
of 18 other
countries around
the world.
The official
program for the
Traspaso 2010
starts this
afternoon
(Friday) at 4pm,
with the
presentation of
credential of
foreign visitors
and a dinner
hosted by
outgoing
president, Oscar
Arias, at the
Teatro Nacional,
followed later
by cocktails at
the Museo de
Arte
Costarricense,
hosted by
president-elect
Chinchilla and
at the Hotel
Intercontinental,
hosted by the
Ministro de
Relaciones
Exteriores y
Culto, Bruno
Stagno.
The area around
the Sabana park
will be with
restricted
access starting
tonight in
anticipation of
the big day
tomorrow, when
at 10am, the
ceremony
officially gets
underway in
preparation for
the noon handing
over of the
"presidential
sash" from Arias
to Chinchilla,
followed by a
speech by the
new president.
Following the
official
ceremony, a
number of events
are scheduled
where the
various
delegations and
the press will
have access to
the new
president,
followed by a
lunch at the
Centro para las
Artes y la
Tecnología “La
Aduana”, hosted
by Laura
Chinchilla
Miranda.
Then at 7pm, the
big show gets
underway, where
the stage set up
for the early
day events will
feature live
music that
included Ruben
Blades, Tikizia,
Editus, Gandhi,
Debi Nova (a
Costa Rican who
is making her
name in the
entertainment
world in the
United States)
and many others.
Laura Chinchilla
was elected on
February 7, 2010
with a margin of
20% over her
closest rival.
Chinchilla
served as a
legislator,
justice
minister,
minister of
security and
last as the
country's first
vice-president
in the Arias
adiministration,
resigning to run
for the
presidency.
Her father,
Rafael Angel
Chinchilla,
serves as the
country's
Comptroller for
many years.
Although
Chinchilla is
the first woman
to reach the
presidency in
Costa Rica, she
is not the first
woman president
in Latin
America.
Violeta Chamorro
(1990-1997) was
president in
Nicaragua;
Rosalia Areaga
Serrano served
in Ecuador in
1997; Mireya
Moscoso led
Panama from 1999
to 2004; Chil'e
Michele Bachelet
recently ended
her four year
term; and in
Argentina,
Argentina's
Cristina
Fernández de
Kirchner, has
been in the
presidency since
2007.
Chinchilla had
hoped that
Cristina would
be attending
tomorrow's
inauguration,
but it will be
Dra. Alicia
Kirchner
Ministra de
Desarrollo
Social, who will
be in Costa
Rica.
According to the
Traspaso 2010
website,
Nicaragua has
not confirmed
the attendance
of president
Daniel Ortega,
nor any
delegation. For
a complete list
of the
delegations
attending the
ceremony on May
8 go to:
http://www.costarica2010.cr/TRASPASO/delegaciones_confirmadas.html
For detailed
information
about the "traspaso
de poderes" go
to:
http://www.costarica2010.cr/TRASPASO/
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