At the time, A Tico told me that Araya’s bowing to the polls and stepping aside was a sign of a healthy democracy that made him proud of his country. While in other countries candidates fight to the last breath, and often fight dirty, Araya showed that in CR politicians defer to the will of the people to the point of dropping out of a race when the people don’t want them.

While I found my buddy’s opinion interesting, it wasn’t my own. Mine was that Araya revealed himself as a spoiled brat whose sense of political entitlement was so strong that he couldn’t bother to complete a campaign that wasn’t going to be a coronation.

Now there is a third opinion–the party’s–and it makes sense too. In the last analysis, parties exist to win elections, and they can’t have candidates who are going to quit a campaign. If I were in the party I’d probably kick Araya out too.