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.