At the start of 2018, Costa Rican polls were predicting that its presidential race would come down to a bout between the Party for National Liberation (Partido de Liberación Nacional, or PLN) candidate Antonio Álvarez and his Party for National Integration (Partido de Integración Nacional, or PIN) competitor, Juan Diego Castro.
The Costa Rican presidential elections are quickly approaching, scheduled to be held on February 4th, 2018. The candidate who receives over 40% of the vote will serve as Costa Rica’s next president from 2018 until 2022. If no candidate receives more than 40% of the vote, a runoff will be held between the two top candidates. Despite the rapid approach of these elections, Costa Ricans are torn between the candidates as a recent scandal has stirred uncertainty in voters.
Este año, y también en los años 2009 y 2012, Costa Rica fue considerado como el país más feliz del mundo, debido principalmente al bienestar y a la alta esperanza de vida que su gente disfruta a pesar de tener un producto interior bruto significativamente menor que el de los países de Europa Occidental, Estados Unidos y Canadá (New Economics Foundation, 2017).
Since the year 2000 the worldwide demand for pineapple has skyrocketed about 300 percent, prompting growers in Costa Rica to increase their output and find new ways to satisfy hungry consumers (Pura Vida Guide 2016). Costa Rica is the largest pineapple supplier to the European Union, and the largest importer is the United States, which gets 90 percent of its pineapples from Costa Rica (Glass 2013). I was able to attend a presentation given by Francisco Arguedas Arce, the financial manager of the fourth largest pineapple producer in Costa Rica, Chestnut Hill Farms.
This past weekend I had the opportunity to travel off campus from my university in Heredia, Costa Rica and see the beautiful town of La Fortuna including the breathtaking Volcán Arenal in the Northern lowlands.
In November 2016, David Strecker, also known as “Cuba Dave”, became the first person convicted under Costa Rica’s 2012 law prohibiting the promotion of sex tourism. Strecker is famous for his videos, Facebook page and website giving tips to men seeking prostitutes in Costa Rica and other Central American nations.
Desde su independencia en 1821, Costa Rica se ha mantenido como uno de los países centroamericanos con menor cantidad de conflictos graves. Esa estabilidad, sumada a condiciones económicas favorables, han hecho que el país haya sido y sea un refugio para muchos inmigrantes centroamericanos. Durante los años setenta y ochenta, por ejemplo, fue el refugio de muchos nicaragüenses que huían de la dictadura de los Somoza primero, y de la revolución sandinista después (Adolfo, 2009).
As the United States draws nearer to the possible election of its first female president, Panoramas decided to take a look at the female presidents Latin America has had in the past. Below are the profiles of each of these eleven women, whose successes and trials reflect the history of women in politics around the world.
Probablemente ese título no sea la mejor forma de comenzar un artículo sobre el más reciente proceso electoral en Costa Rica, pero definitivamente tiene una ventaja: me pone por fuera de la supuesta objetividad científica con que algunos analistas avanzan sobre la política. No es ese mi caso, pues justamente y a pesar de estar ahora en Pittsburgh, estoy seguro de que el resultado de estas elecciones va a determinar en gran medida aspectos de mi vida concreta, y no sólo de la mía, sino de la del resto de los y las costarricenses.
