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Costa
Ricans Trust New President
Many adults in Costa Rica
believe their new head of
state,Óscar Arias Sánchez, will
be successful, according to a
poll by CID-Gallup.
Sixty-two per cent of
respondents think the president
will be able to keep his
campaign promises.
In the February presidential
election, Arias - a member of
the Partido Liberación Nacional
(PLN) - received 40.92% of all
cast ballots, barely defeating
Ottón Solis of the Partido
Acción Ciudadana (PAC), who came
in second with 39.80%.
Arias headed the government from
1986 to 1990, and was able to
run again after the Costa Rican
Legislative Assembly opted to
bring back presidential
re-election in 2003.
Arias has advocated for the
ratification of the Central
American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA)or
Tratado Libre de Comercio (TLC),
as it is known locally. His
campaign platform called for the
annual construction of 16,000
new homes, and adding 400
officers to the country’s police
force.
On May 8, Arias was sworn in for
the second time. In his
inauguration speech, the
president declared, "From today
on, we will have a defined path
regarding honesty and ethics in
public office. I haven’t arrived
at this post to please any
particular group, but to defend
the interest of Costa Rican
society as a whole."
Polling Data
Do you think Óscar Arias
Sánchez will be able to keep his
campaign promises?
Yes
62%
No
38%
Source: CID-Gallup
Methodology: Interviews with
1,110 Costa Rican adults,
conducted from Apr. 29 to May 4,
2006. Margin of error is 3 per
cent.
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