COSTA RICA 7 Feb 2010 Costa Ricans vote in general election

Costa Rica votes for a president and legislature in an election that could give the region its first female president. The National Liberation Party, the governing party of President Oscar Arias Sanchez, a Nobel Peace Prize laureate, chose Laura Chinchilla as its candidate. A Costa Rica vice president until she quit to devote her time to campaigning, Chinchilla holds a healthy lead in the polls. Newcomer Otto Guevara from the fringe Libertarian Movement is in second place.

Candidates need 40 per cent or more to an April run-off.

The local press notes thatt Chinchilla would likely continue Arias’ policies. These include promoting free trade with North America, China, Singapore and the European Union. The new president will also be expected to deal with a surge in crime in the historically nonviolent nation.

As of Jun 2009, seven parties had signalled the intention of running for seats in the 57-seat unicameral legislature: the National Liberation Party; Citizen Action Party; Libertarian Movement; Social Christian Unity Party; and Broad Front Party.

A president, two vice presidents, and a unicameral Legislative Assembly are elected at the same time for a term of four years in a proportional representation system. As it stands, presidents may not run for immediate reelection, though they are eligible to serve again after sitting out two successive presidential terms.

According to Encyclopedia Britannica, Costa Rica, of all the Central American countries, is generally regarded as having the most stable and most democratic government. Its constitution of 1949 provides for a unicameral legislature, a fair judicial system, and an independent electoral body. Moreover, the constitution abolished the country’s army, gave women the right to vote, and provided other social, economic, and educational guarantees for all of its citizens. Throughout the 1970s and ’80s Costa Rica managed to stay relatively peaceful compared with its war-torn neighbours. UPDATED Jan/10

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Outsider closes gap in Costa Rica presidential race (Reuters 19 Jan 2010)
http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSN1816262020100119?type=marketsNews

Costa Rica (Encyclopædia Britannica)
http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/139528/Costa-Rica.

Costa Rica President (Our Campaigns)
http://www.ourcampaigns.com/RaceDetail.html?RaceID=498735

Costa Rican President Calls for New Constitution (Cato Institute 28 Aug 2009)
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