60.000 Expected At PLN Rally in San José
Thinking of taking a stroll along Paseó Colon tomorrow. Then think again unless you want to be part of the largest "plaza pública" during this presidential election campaign.

The Partido Liberación Nacional (PLN), led by Oscar Arias, will be the only party holding a "plaza pública", who expect some 60.000 Costa Ricans be out waving the green and white flag Sunday.

Plaza públicas are a tradition in Costa Rican politics as party leaders take their message to the people amid music, dance and a lot of rallying. This year the other parties have decided not to hold the public meetings, saying they would rather focus on the issues, rather than spend money on the gatherings.

However, the reality could be that the PLN's Arias leads with a whopping margin and is a shoe-in come next Sunday. The extra campaing cost of holding the "plaza pública" is just a waste, though parties like the PAC and the ML will not admit it.

Tomorrow, Paseó COlon will be completely closed off east of the Toyota, where a stage will be erected and at 4pm the political speeches will commence. By the side of Oscar Arias, will be Laura Chinchilla and Kevin Casas (first and second Vice-presidential candidates) along with a host of legislative deputies and politicians.

As tradition, bars and restaurants in vicinity of the rally cannot sell liquor, supermarkets will have their liquor section closed off. Election rules prohibit the sale of liquor in the vicinity of the plaza públicas. The rules also prohibit the sale of liquor in the country the day before the election, the day of the election and the day after the election.