Surrounded by members of the press on San José’s Central Avenue on Monday afternoon, former opposition lawmaker Epsy Campbell, 49, announced she is in the race for president in 2014, representing the Citizen Action Party, or PAC.
Behind her sat a large RV she plans to use to travel the country, bringing a message of change to Costa Rican voters.
“Are we going to remove [the National Liberation Party] from power or not?” asks a message painted on the vehicle’s side in broad letters. Campbell, an economist, lawmaker from 2002-2006 and vice presidential candidate in 2006, hopes to create a “new majority” that aims to remove a party that has ruled the country for the last two administrations.
“We’re going to travel the country inviting Costa Ricans to join the struggle. We invite anyone who feels the need to find a new way of governing,” Campbell announced to reporters and onlookers. “The goal is zero tolerance for corruption.”
Campbell also listened to voter concerns, responding by saying, “it’s people like you who we are looking for, people who want genuine change and who are tired of traditional politics.”
The former legislator turned presidential candidate currently serves as executive director of the Center for Afro-Costa Rican Women.
Campbell also hopes to connect with voters via a new website, www.vamos.co.cr.
