President Oscar Arias appointed University of Costa Rica (UCR) professor Roberto Gallardo as his new planning minister last week, according to a statement from Casa Presidencial.
Gallardo replaces Kevin Casas, the former planning minister and vice-president who last month stepped down after a scandalous memo he co-authored suggesting that the government use intimidation tactics in its campaign for the Central American Free-Trade Agreement with the United States (CAFTA) (TT, Sept. 28).
Gallardo was sworn into his new post Oct. 17 at the President’s weekly Cabinet meeting.
“I feel very honored that an intellectual such as Roberto Gallardo has accepted the job of future planning minister,” Arias said, remarking on Gallardo’s merit as a political mind at UCR.
Gallardo will pick up some of the projects Casas was working on, including the National Development Plan.
