42% Say Yes to CAFTA Referendum

Forty-two percent of Costa Ricans polled in a recent survey said the decision to approve or reject the Central American Free-Trade Agreement with the United States (CAFTA) should not be decided by Congress, and instead should be voted on as a referendum issue, according to the daily La República.

Of those surveyed, 35% said the Legislative Assembly should decide on CAFTA, and the remaining 23% did not wish to express an opinion.

In February, legislators approved a bill to allow controversial topics to be brought to public vote through referendums (TT, March 3).

In the survey, carried out by CIDGallup for La República, 46% of those polled said CAFTA should be approved, while 23% said it should be rejected.

The survey, carried out from April 29 to May 4, polled 1,100 people all over the country and has a 3% margin of error.

Costa Rica is the only signatory country that has not ratified CAFTA. The Legislative Assembly has been discussing the agreement since October 2005.