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Laura Chinchilla, presidential candidate for the National Liberation Party, waves to supporters after casting her vote for the presidential elections at a polling station in San Jose - Source: Reuters -
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Laura Chinchilla, a protege of Nobel peace laureate President
Oscar Arias, won a landslide election victory in Costa Rica on
Monday to become the country's first woman elected president.
Chinchilla, formerly Arias' vice president, has vowed to continue
his pro-business policies in the Central American nation, expanding
free trade pacts and courting investment.
The center-leftist won 47% of the vote, around double the scores of
her two closest rivals, who quickly conceded defeat. She will join
a small camp of women leaders in typically male-dominated Latin
America that currently includes Chile's Michelle Bachelet and
Argentina's Cristina Fernandez.
"I am thankful for the good work of the outgoing government and
thankful our country is again moving forward and refuses to allow
this advance to stop," Chinchilla said after declaring victory to
cheers from her supporters.
Famed for its political stability in a turbulent region, Costa Rica
is an economic success story in Central America, with an economy
based around tourism, manufactured products like microchips, and
exports of coffee, pineapples and bananas.
Popular with eco-tourists, surfers and US and Canadian retirees for
its lush jungles, volcanoes and relaxed lifestyle, Costa Rica is
proud of its six decades of democratic elections and status as one
of Latin America's most stable countries.
"This election ... is an affirmation of the development model that
has been employed," said professor Alberto Cortes of the University
of Costa Rica.
However he noted environmentalists and labor groups may prove
stubborn if Chinchilla pushes ahead with unpopular projects begun
by Arias, such as allowing open-pit mining to resume after removing
a moratorium or an expansion of the Caribbean port of Limon.
Free trade divisive
Married with a teenage son, Chinchilla is a social conservative who
opposes gay marriage and abortion but is also seen as a flagbearer
for women in her country. "It's time," said Chinchilla voter Maria
Luz Calderon. "I like her ideas."
Chinchilla saw her lead in recent opinion polls narrow as her
opponents tried to portray her as a placeholder for Arias.
But the much-decorated peacemaker told Reuters he will bow out of
politics when his term ends in May.
Chinchilla's vote total was well above the 40% needed to avoid a
runoff, but her National Liberation Party fell short of a majority
in the legislative assembly, meaning she will have to seek
alliances with opposition parties.
Chinchilla was aided by Costa Rica's relatively smooth passage
through the global economic crisis. The country dipped last year
into its first recession in 27 years but is seen recovering this
year.
Many Costa Ricans oppose the free trade pacts she and Arias
champion, however. Voters only narrowly approved the region's CAFTA
free trade deal with the United States in 2007 and dislike of the
pact drew many voters to center-left candidate Otton Solis, a
staunch opponent of free trade.
Solis had 25% of the vote and conservative candidate Otto Guevara
had 21% against Chinchilla's 47% with 84% of ballots counted.
Guevara had gained support after pushing his hard line on crime,
promising stiffer jail terms and softer restrictions on law-abiding
citizens owning guns.
Costa Rica, which has no army and avoided the Cold War-era civil
wars that ravaged its neighbors, is known for its low crime but is
increasingly a transit route for drug gangs.
Arias is the country's best-known citizen after being awarded the
Nobel Peace Prize during his 1986-90 term for helping to end
Central America's bloody guerrilla conflicts.
He was elected to a second term in 2006 but now plans to retire
and dedicate his time to his family and reading.
