When La Nación journalist Álvaro Murillo set out to interview 25-year-old National Liberation Party lawmaker-elect Silvia Sánchez, from the province of Alajuela, he hoped to talk about the importance of bringing young, fresh faces to the Legislative Assembly. But what unfolded was perhaps one of the worst interviews in recent memory.
The current living conditions many Venezuelans face – inflation at 56 percent, shortages of flour and milk in stores and one of the worst murder rates in the world, among others – have brought new protests and violence to the streets of Caracas. In Costa Rica, Venezuela’s woes take on a different significance.
See where Citizen Action Party candidate Luis Guillermo Solís headed to court votes and what organization gave its blessing to ruling party candidate Johnny Araya.
Johnny Araya never fails to surprise me. Like most Costa Ricans, about a year ago I thought it inevitable that he would become President Laura Chinchilla’s successor, and that the opposition had little or no chance of beating him. But sometimes politics is unpredictable.
Last week, ruling party presidential candidate Johnny Araya tried to claim the mantle of family values, accusing opposition candidate Luis Guillermo Solís of having a different position than that of his own Citizen Action Party. While the abortion question could prove combustible in Costa Rica, Araya is not well positioned to strike the match.
National Liberation Party presidential candidate Johnny Araya has been fuming over a request for information by Costa Rica's Tax Administration that was leaked to local media this week. Araya says the move was calculated to hurt his chances at the polls in an April runoff.
Costa Rica's Supreme Elections Tribunal released the official results of the Feb. 2 election. Citizen Action Party's Luis Guillermo Solís eked out a victory of less than 20,000 votes over runner-up Johnny Araya, of the National Liberation Party.
In the run-up to Costa Rica's April 6 presidential runoff, the final two candidates are now battling for endorsements from the country's former leaders.
Following the Broad Front Party’s surprise failure to enter April’s second-round presidential election, many citizens have suggested a runoff simply will be a continuation of “politics as usual” in Costa Rica, and that no real political change will occur.
