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.