Costa Rica elects 1st woman president in landslide

AP on Yahoo ^ | 2/8/10 | Marianela Jimenez - ap

[NormsRevenge]

SAN JOSE, Costa Rica – Costa Ricans have elected their first woman president as the ruling party candidate won in a landslide after campaigning to continue free market policies in Central America's most stable nation.

With most of the votes from Sunday's election counted, Laura Chinchilla held a 22-point lead over her closest rival. Her 47 percent share of the vote was well beyond the 40 percent needed to avoid a run-off.

The 50-year-old protege of the current president, Nobel Peace Prize laureate Oscar Arias, promised to pursue the same economic policies that recently brought the country into a trade pact with the U.S. and opened commerce with China.

[NormsRevenge]

Costa Rica's ruling National Liberation Party presidential candidate, Laura Chinchilla, points towards a crowd of supporters as she gives her victory speech after winning the general elections in San Jose late on February 7. (AFP/Mayela Lopez)

[kidd]

...after campaigning to continue free market policies ...

This is a positive aspect. Any others?

[NormsRevenge]

Costa Rican presidential candidate Laura Chinchilla of the ruling National Liberation Party speaks to the press after voting during general elections in San Jose. Chinchilla was on course to become Costa Rica's first female president and only the fifth ever in Latin America, preliminary results from the election commission indicated. (AFP/Yuri Cortez)

[FrankR]

Excerpt from Wikipedia:

The National Liberation Party (Spanish: Partido Liberación Nacional; commonly abbreviated as PLN) is a political party in Costa Rica.

The PLN was founded by José Figueres in 1951, following the end of the Costa Rican Civil War. It soon became one of the most important in the country. In 2002, for the first time in history, it lost its second consecutive election.

The party won only 27.1 % of the popular vote and 17 out of 57 seats. At the presidential elections of the same date, its candidate, Rolando Araya Monge won 31.0 % (the worst showing ever for the party) of the vote and was defeated in the run off election by Abel Pacheco.

Some of the most dynamic and popular leaders that have presided over the country have come from the PLN. Among them are Civil War hero José Figueres and Nobel Peace Prize winner Óscar Arias.

The party is a member of the Socialist International.[citation needed]

In the February 5, 2006 parliamentary election, the party won 25 out of 57 seats. Its candidate at the presidential election of the same day, Óscar Arias won 40.92% and was elected.

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I don't know what all that means for America, or Americans living the Costa Rica, but that's what it said.

[pissant]

George Hamilton is now a Costa Rican chic?

[happinesswithoutpeace]

/

[D_Idaho]

From her Wiki page:

“Chinchilla’s Partido Liberación Nacional is a member of the Socialist International,[3] whose motto is the promotion of “progressive politics for a better world.” “

Wonderful.

[Sergio]

She looks a bit like Vanessa Marcil. Free markets and the most stable country in Latin America. What's not to like.

[Bigh4u2]

“Chinchilla, the mother of a teenage son, is a social conservative who opposes abortion and gay marriage.’

Apparently her “progressive” isn’t the same as ours.

She is also for ‘free markets’.

[Sergio]

She looks a bit like Vanessa Marcil. Free markets and the most stable country in Latin America. Little worried about her being a member of Socialist International.

There...fixed it.

[ZULU]

She looks HOT.

[muleskinner]

Fair amount of retired Americans down there. Can get a nice house with a great view above the Pacific and live cheap.

[rfp1234]

[posterchild]

... the most stable country in Latin America.

It's the most stable in Central America, not necessarily in Latin America. Depending on how stability is measured that designation could well go to Chile.

[FReepaholic]

[Ann Archy]

CHINCILLA!!! COOL!

[mikrofon]

The news reporters on the radio took great pains to pronounce her name as cheen-CHEE-ya ... I guess I’ll wait for the official word from our President.

[Does so]

"...Free markets and the most stable country in Latin America..."

With the world's greatest military!

;)