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Average Start for President
Arias
Adults in Costa Rica hold mixed
views on president Óscar Arias
Sánchez, according to a poll by
Demoscopia published in the
Spanish language daily, Al Día.
56.9 per cent of respondents
rate the president’s performance
as average.
In the February presidential
election, Arias - a member of
the Partido Liberación Naiconal
(PLN) - received 40.92 per cent
of all cast ballots, barely
defeating Ottón Solis of the
Partido Acción Ciudadana PAC),
who came in second with 39.80
per cent.
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.
He was sworn in for the second
time in May.
Arias has advocated for the
ratification of the Central
American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA)
or as it is known locally, the
Tratado Libre de Comercio (TLC).
His campaign platform called for
the annual construction of
16,000 new homes, and adding 400
officers to the country’s police
force.
On Sept. 11, TLC opponents
announced a series of public
protests against the proposed
deal. Energy workers union
member Ricardo Segura said a
"national TLC resistance
crusade" would take place on
Oct. 23 and Oct. 24, adding, "We
can tell there are enormous
feelings against the accord, and
the government would be foolish
not to acknowledge this national
anxiety."
Polling Data
How would you rate Oscar Arias
Sanchez’s performance as
president?
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Good / Very Good |
20.2% |
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Average |
56.9% |
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Bad / Very Bad |
15.8% |
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Source: Demoscopia / Al Día
Methodology: Interviews with
1,200 Costa Rican adults,
conducted from Aug. 28 to Sept.
6, 2006. Margin of error is 2.8
per cent.
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