Amid the celebration of another party’s primary, Antonio López Escarré slipped an e-mail to the press announcing his presidential aspirations.
The former ambassador to Spain and Panama, who also has served as president of the Costa Rican Chamber of Commerce, told reporters in the e-mail that he wishes to run under the Libertarian Movement banner.
“I want to be a candidate for president in order to fight for a Costa Rica free from corruption, poverty, state stagnation, backward infrastructure, lack of safety (and) empty promises…” he wrote in an e-mail to The Tico Times.
The announcement came as a surprise to Ronaldo Alfaro, secretary general of the Libertarian Movement.
“He didn’t mention his intention to me before,” Alfaro said. “Nevertheless, having another candidate is a positive thing for our party because it shows we are growing.”
López’ announcement was buried in election coverage in Monday’s newspapers, behind photos and stories of voters during the National Liberation Party (PLN) primaries, which ended in victory for former Vice President Laura Chinchilla.
The Libertarian Movement remains a force to contend with, as it drew 8 percent of the vote in the 2006 election. In the coming weeks, the anti-regulation, pro-individual rights Libertarian Movement will select 139 delegates who will decide internally between López and party founder Otto Guevara.
–Chrissie Long
For a copy of Antonio López’s resume, visit wordpress-257819-2837440.cloudwaysapps.com
