President Chinchilla: The “Puppet” Sets Her Own Agenda
On May 8th, 2010, Laura Chinchilla was sworn into office as the first female president of Costa Rica, following the second term of fellow National Liberation Party (PLN) candidate Oscar Arias. Chinchilla had been slated as a potential presidential candidate since 2008, when she resigned as Costa Rica’s vice president to begin her campaign. From the outset of her campaign, many assumed that she would simply adopt a number of Arias’ reforms and policies. During the presidential campaign, candidates made a point of portraying Chinchilla as Arias’ puppet —one commercial went so far as to make Chinchilla into a literal marionette, with strings held by Arias and other PLN members.1 The strategy used against Chinchilla is commonplace when a candidate from the incumbent party has a good chance of continuing that party’s rule, as evidenced in Dilma Rousseff’s bid to succeed Luiz Inácio Lula de Silva in Brazil. Despite these political attacks, Chinchilla won a decisive victory, garnering 47 percent of the popular vote, leaving her main opponent, Ottón Solis, with a mere 25 percent.2
Though Chinchilla was groomed to be Arias’ successor, differences between the two have emerged since she took office in May of this year. More recently, Chinchilla has illustrated that she is a leader very much in charge of her own presidency and this is outlined by her departure from Arias’. In one of the first official statements released during her campaign, Chinchilla outlined her “vision” for Costa Rica, based on the principles of “Safety, Security and Prosperity.”3 She also addressed key issues currently facing Costa Rica, including drug trafficking, the environment, and the nation’s lack of security, which is the root of many of Costa Rica’s modern-day problems.
This analysis was prepared by COHA Research Associate Robin Burnette
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