Appellate tribunal upholds Johnny Araya “banishment” from PLN
(ICR Archive)
April 21st, 2015 (InsideCostaRica.com) A National Liberation Party (PLN) appellate tribunal has upheld the party’s decision to “banish” former presidential candidate and former mayor of San Jose, Johnny Araya Monge from the party for a period of four years.
An internal party “ethics tribunal” banned Araya from the party for a period of four years as punishment for his March, 2014 decision to effectively drop out of the run-off presidential race against Luis Guillermo Solis. Araya had appealed the decision.
Araya made the decision to effectively drop out of the April 5th 2014 run-off election on March 5th after numerous polls, including those conducted by CID-Gallup, all indicated that Araya was trailing significantly behind Solis amongst likely voters.
Johnny Araya “not only filled the National Liberation Party with shame, but also caused the greatest electoral defeat in the history of our party,” Alvaro Emilio Castro Garnier, president of the PLN’s ethics committee, said in an October 9th , 2014 complaint filed with the party’s general secretary which led to the decision to banish Araya.
While under Costa Rican law, a candidate cannot officially drop out of a presidential run-off election, Araya ceased all campaign activity after his March 5th announcement, effectively handing the election to Solis. The final result was a landslide victory for Solis and the Citizen Action Party (PAC) who won the election with 78% of the vote, the worst defeat ever for a PLN candidate.
As part of Araya’s banishment from the party, he is prevented from having any political affiliation with the party or to run for any national or local appointment as a party member.
Araya served as mayor of San Jose between 1998 and 2013 before entering the 2014 presidential race.
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