No menu items!

COSTA RICA'S LEADING ENGLISH LANGUAGE NEWSPAPER

HomeNewsletterCosta Rica leader wants his name off bridges, buildings

Costa Rica leader wants his name off bridges, buildings

Costa Rica President Luis Guillermo Solís doesn’t want his name on plaques at public works or his portrait hung in public offices.

In a decree signed Wednesday, Solís prohibited his name from being used on plaques inaugurating bridges, roads and buildings, as had been the custom in previous administrations.

“The works are from the country and not from a government or a particular official,” Solis told reporters after the decree was signed during a meeting with the governing council.

He also banned his portrait from being hung in Costa Rican government buildings, a practice that is common in many countries.

“The worship of the image of the president is over, at least under my government,” he said.

Solís came out of nowhere in the polls to become the first third-party candidate in more than half a century to win the top post in Costa Rica — running on a platform promising transparency and to eliminate superfluous spending.

Trending Now

Costa Rica Faces Months of Drought as El Niño Intensifies

Costa Rica doesn't take direct hurricane hits often, but this year's El Niño is playing out with the same shape as one, tracked for...

Pesticide Runoff Is Quietly Draining Costa Rica’s Caribbean Tourism Economy

Decades of banana and pineapple chemistry have left a documented trail through Limón's rivers. The cost lands on the reefs, fisheries and certifications the Caribbean coast needs to compete.

Costa Rica Races to Preserve Its Indigenous Languages

Several of Costa Rica’s Indigenous languages are at risk of disappearing as the number of fluent speakers declines and younger generations increasingly grow up...

Starbucks Opens 33rd Costa Rica Store as Dunkin Expands

Starbucks has opened its 33rd store in Costa Rica while Dunkin' adds locations in Zapote and Sabana Este, intensifying competition in the country's coffee and doughnut market.

Tropical Wave 29 Crosses Costa Rica as the Caribbean Alert Holds

The yellow alert that went up over the weekend is still in place, and a second tropical wave in three days crosses today. If...

Is Costa Rica Losing Its Tourism Edge in Central America?

Imagine that the seven nations of Central America are participants in a race. The race has no finish line. Instead it's an ongoing competition...

Powerful Earthquake Strikes Colombia’s Pacific Coast

A powerful earthquake struck western Colombia on Monday morning, damaging buildings in the Pacific department of Chocó and sending office workers into the streets...

Costa Rica’s Route 32 Reopens After Landslide Cleanup

Update, Friday, August 7: Route 32 is open again. You can drive between the Central Valley and Limón normally. The detours below are no...

Thousands Fill San José Plaza in Defense of Costa Rica’s Judiciary

Thousands of Costa Ricans packed the Plaza de la Democracia in San José last evening and spilled across several blocks of Avenida Segunda, closing...
🌴 The Weekly Pura Vida

Costa Rica, Once a Week

The week's top stories, weather & insider tips — delivered every Sunday. One email, zero clutter.

🔒 Free. No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.

Loading…

Latest News from Costa Rica

Costa Rica Coffee Maker Chorreador
Costa Rica Car Rentals
Costa Rica Travel Insurance
Costa Rica Travel