Costa Rica's first woman president, Laura Chinchilla celebrates her landslide victory - photo by API
As millions were watching the New Orleans Saints betting the Indianapolis Colts, during Sunday’s Superbowl, Costa Rica presidential candidate, Laura Chinchilla won the nation’s presidency Sunday with a landslide victory in which she prevailed in each of the country’s seven provinces.
She is Costa Rica’s first woman president.
Thousands of Chinchilla’s supporters took to the streets to celebrate her victory (as did those in New Orleans) before the official voting results were announced. Chinchilla promised to strengthen democratic institutions, pay more attention to economy, fight poverty and crime, and let the women of Costa Rica be more active in politics.
The 50-year-old protege of current President Óscar Arias Sánchez promises that security and continuing the fight against drug traffickers would be her No. 1 priority. Costa Rica has been becoming the new hub of drug traffickers.
Ms. Chinchilla is a former minister of security has always stressed personal security in the face of the country’s rising crime rate, which has somewhat discourage tourism. However, back in Oct, 2009, the crime rate in San Jose has fallen with the crackdown on street vend0rs/
Polls had predicted that Ms. Chinchilla of Partido Liberación Nacional would get about with 41 percent of the vote to avoid a runoff, but she got a whopping 47 percent.
As vice president to Arias she headed a committee that was supposed to produce a citizen security bill, but the bulk of the measure submitted to the legislature was a plan to keep homeowners from having more than two weapons, which got gun owners outraged.
Ms. Chinchilla is strongly establishment. She is the daughter of a former head of the Contraloría de la Republica, the nation’s bugetary watchdog.
However, her win is being criticized by casino and gambling operators which is a major draw for tourism at hotels and popular beach resorts area like Jaco and Tamarindo. Chinchilla has been known to called these gambling establishments “Centers of Prostitution” that help promote Costa Rica’s ongoing sex-tourism. It is pretty much a known fact that 20-30% of all tourism is for the gambling and the legalize prostitution.
The casino and gambling operators augue, she appears to overlooked the nation’s nightclubs (strip joint) clubs, massage parlors and escorts services where prostitution and similar establishments stand out like sore thumbs in the country.
Laura Chinchilla is a great woman, of course make mistakes like anyone else, but it’s still a remarkable woman, my party has received strong criticism and even parodies, but I have always respected as my president and a woman, she deserves respect .
Very Very happy for this!!!!!!! I hope our Country be better with this big change.