Vermont senator and surging Democratic Party presidential candidate Bernie Sanders is no stranger to Costa Rica, having come here in 2007 to lend his voice to a campaign against the Central American-U.S. Free Trade Agreement, CAFTA-DR.
Costa Rican Labor Minister Víctor Morales on Monday introduced a new government incentives program for companies willing to hire workers from segments of the population who generally have more difficulty finding jobs. The program will give companies a $2,680 bonus for each new worker they hire from pre-defined groups.
Officials used words like “crisis” and “precarious” to describe the country’s fiscal situation after years of legislative gridlock that have been unable to rein in Costa Rica’s deficit, despite several downgrades from international ratings agencies.
President Luis Guillermo Solís' proposed 2016 budget is 0.5 percent greater than the ₡7.9 trillion ($14.5 billion) 2015 budget, the largest ever in Costa Rican history.
Sylvie Durán Salvatierra officially took over as culture and youth minister on Tuesday, while the ministry's Film Center Director Max Valverde Soto was appointed vice minister.
In testimony Thursday before a Legislative Assembly commission, Costa Rica's former Culture Minister Elizabeth Fonseca downplayed the colossal failure of this year's International Arts Festival, or FIA, saying, "this whole situation has been exaggerated; the gravity of what happened was blown out of proportion.”
Vice President Ana Helena Chacón announced an executive order that would punish public workers for discriminating against people based on their sexual orientation or gender identity. Besides possible disciplinary action, Chacón said that government institutions must recognize same-sex couples in their definition of family members when requesting time off work if their same-sex partner is seriously ill or dying.
More than 76 percent surveyed in a recent University of Costa Rica poll said they did not think Solís would be able to bring about the change he campaigned on.
Elected a year ago on a wave of euphoria and following promises of change, President Luis Guillermo Solís addressed Costa Rica Friday night in his first State of the Nation speech with fewer accomplishments to report than he would have hoped for.
