No menu items!

COSTA RICA'S LEADING ENGLISH LANGUAGE NEWSPAPER

HomeNewsCosta RicaDialogue on Costa Rica’s financial future fails before it begins

Dialogue on Costa Rica’s financial future fails before it begins

A planned round table between President Carlos Alvarado, lawmakers and various community leaders to discuss Costa Rica’s financial future was canceled before it could begin.

In a joint message issued Thursday night by President Alvarado and Eduardo Cruickshank, President of the Legislative Assembly, the leaders said it will be “necessary to build a new mechanism” for dialogue after the meeting’s mediator called off talks.

Discussions mediated by Jorge Vargas Cullell, director of the TV program Estado de la Nación (State of the Nation), were scheduled to begin Saturday, but various sectors reportedly refused to participate.

According to the daily La Nación, the Costa Rican Union of Chambers and Associations of the Private Business Sector (UCCAEP) and the National Agricultural Alliance declined to meet, while several other groups didn’t respond to the invitation.

The round table was the Presidency’s response to public criticism of Costa Rica’s upcoming negotiations with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and subsequent proposed tax increases. The government has since withdrawn the bill containing the new taxes.

President Alvarado and Cruickshank — who represents the right-wing National Restoration Party — have joined in a call for dialogue rather than the demonstrations that have impacted tourism and commerce, and at times turned violent.

“Our call remains open, because Costa Rica needs to dialogue to resolve the fiscal emergency,” their joint message read.

“We will work in the coming hours and days in a multisectoral manner to reach the best formula that allows the dialogue to be concretized.”

The coronavirus pandemic has caused record unemployment in Costa Rica, and poverty has reached its highest level in decades.

The round table sought a balanced solution to poverty, unemployment and Costa Rica’s fiscal solvency in the medium term.

Trending Now

El Salvador at Center of Controversial U.S.-Venezuela Detainee Exchange

Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele received the 10 Americans exchanged on Friday between Washington and Caracas for 252 Venezuelans who had spent four months in...

UN Denounces Guatemala Over ‘Inhuman’ Indigenous Evictions

The United Nations Special Rapporteur on the right to adequate housing, Balakrishnan Rajagopal, called on the Guatemalan government on Friday to halt the “inhuman”...

Panama Farmer Receives Land Title After 60-Year Wait at Age 109

A 109-year-old Panamanian farmer has received the land title for the property where he lives and works—six decades after first requesting it from the...

Panama Removed from EU High-Risk List, but Tax Haven Status Remains

The film The Laundromat, starring Meryl Streep, damaged Panama's reputation by drawing inspiration from a real-life story: the global scandal that erupted a decade...

Costa Rica’s Poás Volcano Park Reopening to Tourists With Safety Measures

The Poás Volcano National Park will reopen its doors to tourism starting July 30, after  scientific entities reported a decrease in volcanic activity. This was...

Cosby Show Star Malcolm-Jamal Warner Dies in Costa Rica Drowning Accident

Malcolm-Jamal Warner passed away at 54 from an accidental drowning. He gained fame as Theo Huxtable on "The Cosby Show," playing the son in...
spot_img
Costa Rica Coffee Maker Chorreador
Costa Rica Coffee Maker Chorreador
Costa Rica Travel Insurance
Costa Rica Rocking Chait
Costa Rica Travel

Latest News from Costa Rica