"X" Will End Five Years
of Debate
At 6:00am sharp today,
some 2.6 million Costa
Ricans voters will take
part in the first ever
national referendum to
decide the future of the
country and the fate of
the Tratado de Libre
Comercio (TLC) - free
trade agreement with the
United States.
And by 6:00pm, with an
"X" it will end a five
year debate that stirred
passion in every corner
of the country.
The TLC debate began in
2002 following three
years of discussion,
preparation and
negotiations with the
United States.
The U.S. approved the
trade deal that unites
Costa Rica, El Salvador,
Guatemala, Honduras,
Nicaragua and the
Dominican Republic, in
2005.
All the countries save
Costa Rica have ratified
and implemented their
respective trade deal.
Normally the 57
legislative deputies of
the Asemblea Legislativa
(legislative
assembly)are responsible
for the ratification of
the trade deal, however,
with the decision to
hold a referendum, the
decision is now in the
hands of the people.
Héctor Fernández,
coordinador de programas
electorales del Tribunal
Supremo de Elecciones (TSE),
explained that the
referendum vote is
different from
presidential elections,
in that in the
referendum there is only
one vote to be cast and
it is not to elect any
person.
"There is no vote for a
candidate, but rather, a
vote for law", said
Fernández.
Fernández added that for
the vote results to take
effect, a minimum of
1.062.851 (40% of the
registered voters) must
participate in today's
vote.
In the event the
required number of
voters is not met, the
TLC would then go back
to the Legislative
Assembly. Fernández
explained that Costa
Rica has until March 1,
2008 to ratify the trade
deal before it becomes
null and void.
Whatever the outcome
today, it will mean an
end to five years of
debate, discussion,
protests and accusations
that have all been part
of the free trade
question.
The questions asked
today are what happens
next if vote is no?
Costa Rican president
Oscar Arias earlier this
week made it clear that
there will be no more
discussions or
negotiations on the TLC
and it will come to
rest.
Today's vote can go
either way. One poll
shows that the "Si" have
the upper hand, while
another says that the
"No" have the clear
advantage. One thing is
for sure, just one vote
can make all the
difference as long as
the 40% requirement is
met.
However, there is the
possibility of a tie. So
what happens then?
According to TSE
regulations, if there
should be a tie in the
vote, the trade deal
would then go back to
the legislature and the
debate, discussions and
protests will continue
for some time more. |
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