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COSTA RICA |
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Former Costa Rican President Rodrigo Carazo
Odio Dies
Costa Rican health authorities confirmed the
death of former Costa Rican President
Rodrigo Carazo Odio, who was in a critical
condition after having undergone heart
surgery, on Wednesday.
Carazo, 83, died on Wednesday at about 1:30
p.m. in San José's public hospital, Hospital
México, where he had been hospitalized for
more than a week.
He was brought to the hospital on Nov. 27
after suffering a heart attack. Doctors
considered his health condition "stable"
during his last days. In spite of this,
Carazo's health worsened on Wednesday
morning.
According to medical authorities, during his
last hours Carazo received "vital support to
aid his heart, lung and kidney functions,
because those organs presented problems."
The charismatic Carazo Odio governed Costa
Rica from 1978 to 1982.
He was viewed as a supporter of the
Sandinista revolution that toppled dictator
Anastasio Somoza in neighboring Nicaragua in
1979. He opposed a free trade agreement with
the United States approved in 2007.
But he also broke off diplomatic relations
with Cuba in 1981, ties that were not
revived until last March.
Carazo also served on the board of directors
of the del Banco Central (Central Bank),
president of the Refinadora Costarricense de
Petróleo (RECOPE) and general manager of the
Instituto Nacional de Vivienda y Urbanismo (INVU).
Carazo Odio is survived by his wife,
Estrella Zeledon Lizano, and four children.
Costa Rican president, Oscar Arias, called
for a three day period of national mourning
for the country.
Funeral arrangements today include a private
mass for the family in Escazú, after which
the body will be on public display at the
Legislative Assembly from 12pm to 2:30pm,
followed by a state funeral mass at the
Catedral Metropolitana at 3:30pm. |
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