"Marea Verde"
The "maera verde" (green tide) took over Paseo Colon yesterday as the Partido Liberación Nacional (PLN) held it's "plaza pública", closing off Paseo Colón, for the last big push of the campaign to elect Oscar Arias this Sunday.

Thousands of "Aristas" as they are known for their support of Arias, came from all over the country came to listen to their candidate reiterate his campaign promises of improved foreing investment which will mean more jobs and economic growth for the country.

"Si Costa Rica" has been the slogan that has been telling voters that Oscar Arias is the man to put Costa Rica back on track after years of mismanagement. The PLN last governed in 1998.

The main podium was set up in front of the Kentucky Fried Chicken, as music and dancers filled the stage before Oscar himself delivered his message shortly after 4pm. Paseo Colon was filled with the green and white colours of the party.

However, one group of university students gathered in front of the Universidad de Costa Rica (UCR) to say "no" to Arias and the Tratado Libre de Comercio (TLC) - the free trade agreement with the United States and asked votes to reject Oscar Arias, calling hims a liar. The "Festival de NO" began at mid-day while across town Aristas were displaying their support for "Si".

According to various opinion polls here, the only question is whether Arias will be elected in the first round or be forced into a runoff with the second-place candidate. Even if forced into a second round, polls show, Arias is likely to emerge as the clear winner.

But polls also show that the new legislative assembly, to be elected Feb. 5, will be divided with no party having an overall majority, forcing Arias to develop ad-hoc coalitions on different issues.

While foreign policy is considered Arias' forte and he has a long tradition of being critical of U.S. foreign policy issues, he also is seen as a pragmatist.

By the time he is sworn in as president, Costa Rica is expected to have ratified the TLC. Although opposed by many Costa Ricans, the deal is expected to plough hundreds of millions of U.S. dollars into the troubled Costa Rican economy.

It also will force Costa Rica to liberalize its internal economy with the introduction of competition in the lucrative telecommunications and Internet sectors.

After eight years of lethargic leadership, many Costa Ricans believe Arias' previously disliked authoritarian approach is now exactly what the country needs.