A Significant Moment in Costa Rica’s History
Love her or hate her, the election of doña Laura Chinchilla as the first woman president of Costa Rica signifies the majority’s choice for both the continuation of current policies, and the change in cultural perspective that her presidency represents. She officially takes power on May 8th with support from other women in the government who now represent 23 of 57 public posts.
Not only has Costa Rica elected its first woman president (only the 5th in Latin America, but one of more than 50 the world over since 1960), they have done it by a landslide, as Chinchilla nearly doubled the percentage of her nearest contender, Ottón Solís.
In my local neighborhood of Atenas, there was a marked air of festivity surrounding this year’s election. The area was draped in the green and white of Chinchilla’s PLN party; caravans and parades would follow. Costa Ricans who I spoke to said they had never seen such voter turnout and enthusiasm. While Americans were screaming at their TVs during the Super Bowl, the same level of emotion could be observed by Costa Ricans in front of their TVs: arguing, debating, and speculating, but fully absorbed by the event.
Doña Laura has been criticized by some as being a puppet-like extension of former President Arias, serving as another “president for the wealthy.” Since the do-nothing presidency of Abel Pacheco, however, Costa Rica has been observably transformed. Many were fearful of the swift action proposed by Arias after 4 years of sloth by Pacheco, which produced a very thin victory for Arias in the last election. But, it seems that an objective look at the state of the nation by most Costa Ricans has led to the conclusion that the current development and change that is taking place will indeed benefit nearly all Costa Ricans. Moreover, the policy extension can be seen as a willingness to walk the fine line of luring and placating all-important foreign investment, corporate business interests, tourists, and retirees. If Costa Rica can continue to walk this fine line between the fast-changing modern world, and the slower, Pura Vida-defined world of its heritage, it will continue to be a shining example on the world stage.
Chinchilla has extolled the policies of President Arias, and certainly has not indicated any change in direction to what she cites as, “solid growth and development.” She intends only to “propel them forward.” She has also responded to polls that overwhelmingly show the concerns of most Costa Ricans: crime, insecurity, drugs, and domestic violence. She promises tighter border control, improved police equipment, and not to shrink from addressing some of the underlying “Machista” attitude taking place behind closed doors. She believes that by reducing poverty and focusing on the needs of women (with a possible nationalized daycare system), empowerment will follow as opportunities are equalized.
Perhaps the largest gap between perception and reality is with the country’s ailing infrastructure. The new San Jose-Caldera highway opened under fanfare and media attention, and now provides the ability for people to sail along on a straight, flat road. However, it is also true that many key bridges, roads, and the nation’s ports remain in poor condition – the president-elect would do well to shore up those lacking areas, lest she encounter more accusations of putting the interest of foreigners, businesses, and the wealthy ahead of the average citizen.
It is a momentous time for the small country of Costa Rica. As a foreign resident myself, I cannot identify as intimately as Costa Rican citizens with what is at stake, culturally, but I am overwhelmed by the courage and involvement of the people of Costa Rica in coming to such a historic vote.
Print
E-Mail
PDF