Costa Rica's likely next president eyes small firms
If a presidential聽election takes place with only one candidate, can we still call it an election?
That鈥檚 the question facing Costa Rica after the ruling party鈥檚 candidate dropped out of the race last month after falling behind in polls, leaving only center-left challenger Luis Guillermo Sol铆s campaigning for the second-round run-off Sunday (April 6), says our correspondent in San Jos茅. Both Solis and Johnny Araya聽will still appear on the ballot per electoral rules, but only Mr. Sol铆s聽has actively campaigned in recent weeks.聽
Sol铆s聽is expected by all forecasts to win the presidency, but the greater risk now is whether he can also win the popular mandate.
鈥淚f nobody comes out to vote and Sol铆s聽wins, that looks much worse than if many people showed up and Sol铆s聽barely won,鈥� says our correspondent.
There is also a risk that Sol铆s supporters could feel overly confident, stay home, and not vote, which could raise the rate of absenteeism and give die-hard supporters of聽the ruling National Liberation Party鈥檚聽Mr. Araya a chance to eke out a victory, adds our correspondent.聽It鈥檚 no wonder then that Sol铆s聽has continued knocking on doors, paying for television spots, sitting for interviews, and publicly announcing a drive for more than 1 million votes 鈥� nearly half of total eligible voters.
Expect a President Sol铆s聽to focus on boosting medium- and small-scale enterprise in Costa Rica, according to our correspondent. Sol铆s聽has said that the country relies too heavily on foreign employers and exports rather than supporting local jobs with local businesses. But also don鈥檛 expect a sudden cold shoulder toward foreign investment, as Sol铆s聽recognizes the value of US firms such as Intel and Hewlett-Packard聽who have turned this tiny Central American nation into a top global producer of microprocessors, adds our correspondent.
鈥淗e鈥檚 walking this line between wanting to court foreign business and finding a way to develop other sections of the economy left behind,鈥� says our correspondent.... For the rest of the story, continue reading at our new business publication聽
