Next president of Costa Rica to be a woman?
Will Laura Chinchilla be Costa Rica's next president?
I’m not blogging from the road just yet, but wanted to share some Costa Rica news.
A few weeks ago, Demoscopía / Al Día pollsters asked 1,216 Costa Rican adults who they would choose for president if the election were held today. An overwhelming 53% chose former vice president Laura Chinchilla.
Chinchilla was current President Oscar Arias’ first vice-president (there are two) until she resigned last year to run for president. Arias and Chinchilla are members of the ruling Partido Liberación Nacional (PLN). In June, Chinchilla won the PLN’s nomination at that party’s convention, defeating the city of San José’s colorful mayor Johnny Araya Monge. Chinchilla said that if elected, she would emphasize continuity (presumably with Arias’s policies), the economy, and the environment.
Candidates Alfio Piva, Laura Chinchilla, and Luis Liberman; Photo by Manuel Vega, Al Dia
Last month, Chinchilla named Alfio Piva and Luis Liberman as her vice-presidential candidates. Piva has a doctorate in animal physiology from the University of Milan and experience in environmental conservation. Libermen holds a doctorate in economics from the University of Illinois.
Not so long ago, there was talk that another women, Elsy Campbell, from the Caribbean coast of the country and of Afro-Costa Rican descent, might win a try at the presidency. There was even talk of her ‘riding Obama’s coattails’ into power. Apparently that didn’t pan out, but I’m excited that come Feb 4, 2010, Costa Rica has a good chance of choosing a woman for its highest position of power.
There are many things about such a prospect that excite me, not least of which is how it upends cultural stereotypes. A supposedly ‘third world’ and ‘macho’ country elects a woman, while a first world country where the sky’s supposedly the limit for all genders and races (the US of A) lags behind (at least where gender is concerned–we’ve broken new ground in the race department).
But back to the poll for a moment. Otto Guevara of the Libertarian Movement (ML) came in second with 15.7 per cent, and former economy minister Ottón Solís of the Citizens Action Party (PAC) had 12.3 per cent.
Come February, Vamos a ver! (We’ll see.)
Tags: election, politics, women
Costa Rican Politics | Erin Van Rheenen | 
November 9, 2009 11:43 am
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By David, November 9, 2009 @ 9:12 pm
It’s about time!
By Richard Levitt, November 16, 2009 @ 8:37 am
This is great. I’m starting to plan a m/c trip to central america so I’ll be enjoying this. Have fun!