Saturday 25 October 2008, San José, Costa
Rica
Costa Rica, Panama Sign
Free Trade Deal
Central Bank
Manager Denies Sharp Rise In Dollar
Despite Rumours
Pacheco: The Presidency
Is Yours!
Exports Decelerate
Freedom Of The Press
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Pacheco: The Presidency
Is Yours!
In a unprecedented
event, the president of
the Legislative Assembly
will be acting president
while Óscar Arias
Sánchez is off to El
Salvador next week for
the Cumbre
Iberoamericana de Jefes
de Estado y de Gobierno.
For the first time in
its political history
Costa Rica is without a
vice-president and
according to the
country's political
constitution of 1949,
the job of acting head
of state falls to the
head of the legislature,
a position that is
currently held by
Francisco Antonio
Pacheco.
Both of Costa Rica's
vice president resigned.
Kevin Casas did mid last
year following a scandal
of an internal email,
while Laura Chinchilla
did so earlier this
month to be able to seek
out the Liberación
nomination for the 2010
presidential elections.
Arias has, on one
occasion, not
relinquished his
presidency while out of
the country, saying that
with today's
communications systems
he can govern without
his physical presence in
Costa Rica.
However, for this trip,
the president confirmed
yesterday that he will
be naming Pacheco as
acting president, an
unprecedented event that
has the support of the
Tribunal Supremo de
Elecciones (Elections
Tribunal) which found no
problem with Pacheco
also being the president
of the Partido
Liberación Naciona (PLN)
political party.
"In my absence I will
leave Francisco Antonio
Pacheco in my place, to
govern the country with
a tough hand", said
Arias during a press
conference at Casa
Presidencial following
the signing of the free
trade agreement with
Panama.
Pacheco did not hide his
smile on learning of the
news of being handed
over the reigns of the
country, saying "When
the President calls on
me I will take as
constitutional duty and
second a great
satisfaction, even for
only a few hours, to
form part of the Arias
Sánchez administration,
which for me is taking
the country in the right
direction."
Universidad Nacional
political analyst and
sociologist, José Carlos
Chinchilla, criticizes
the move saying Arias is
only doing so to satisfy
the TSE, leaving the
country in the hands
that no one voted for.
Chinchilla added that
the Pacheco interim
assignment is
prejudicial as he is
also head of the
political party.
Chinchilla feels that
Pacheco should resign
his party leadership,
"even if to be president
for only one minute".
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