No menu items!

COSTA RICA'S LEADING ENGLISH LANGUAGE NEWSPAPER

HomeArchiveBlind Man Runs for President of Costa Rica

Blind Man Runs for President of Costa Rica

Oscar López has his sights set on the Casa Presidencial.

The 38-year-old legislator, who has been blind from birth, says he has the experience and the vision to confront many of the problems Costa Rica faces today, listing the financial crisis, poverty and crime as three.

“I am quite sure that Costa Rica is ready to be governed by someone who has learned to see life through the eyes of the soul,” said López, who will run with the Accessibility without Exclusion Party (PASE), which he helped create.

Diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa at birth, López has faced a constant struggle to improve the lives of family, friends and fellow citizens. He lived with his grandparents, uncles, parents and five siblings, growing up in a dirt-floored and rusty-roofed home in San José torn by poverty and alcoholism.

With his father’s encouraging words “to swim against the current,” he achieved a bachelor’s degree and continued on to study law. He became president of the National Foundation for the Blind and was the country’s representative to a United Nations Development Program commission, tasked with protecting the rights of the disabled.

He was elected to the Legislative Assembly in 2006 and came with the direct mission to defend the disabled, the elderly and the disadvantaged. Now, he is the first blind man to run for the country’s highest office.

In the 2010 election, López faces Liberation Party candidate Laura Chinchilla (who also hopes to give Costa Rica a first in the election of a female president), Citizen Action Party candidate Ottón Solís and Rafael Angel Calderón with the Unity Party, among others.

–Chrissie Long

 

Popular Articles

Domestic Violence Surges in Costa Rica Amid Deepening Social Crisis

Costa Rica’s image as a peaceful haven is cracking—not just on the streets, where homicides are spiking, but inside homes, where domestic violence has...

Samara Beach Unveils Retractable Walkway for Inclusive Tourism

Samara Beach launched a retractable walkway made from recycled plastic caps, a pioneering step toward inclusive tourism in Costa Rica. The project, unveiled during...

Coca-Cola FEMSA Invests $45M to Expand Costa Rica Plant

Coca-Cola FEMSA announced a $45 million investment in its production plant in Calle Blancos, Costa Rica, on March 17, 2025. This project will increase...
Avatar
spot_img
Costa Rica Coffee Maker Chorreador
Costa Rica Coffee Maker Chorreador
Costa Rica Travel Insurance
Costa Rica Rocking Chait

Latest Articles