The Presidential election showdown between Ex-Finance Minister Rodrigo Chaves and Former State Leader Jose Maria Figueres is now a done deal. The renowned Economist came out head and shoulders above the well-experienced Politician.
Convincingly, Mr. Rodrigo emerged victorious in the presidential run-off election held on Sunday where he polled 53 percent of the ballots against 47 percent garnered by his opponent – Jose Figueres; presidential flag-bearer of the Centrist National Liberation Party (PLN). Voters’ turnout hit was however low as statistics shown by the Supreme Electoral Tribunal revealed about 43 percent of eligible voters abstained from the electoral process in the second round.
Ushering in a new political order, Rodrigo Chaves, a right-wing politician and leading figure of the Social Democratic Progress Party (PPSD) will begin a 4-year presidential term on May 8, taking over the political wheels of San Jose from the incumbent government led by Carlos Alvarado, a center-left politician.
An Economist by profession, Rodrigo Chaves Robles was born in June 1961 in his home country. Making headlines in Spanish-speaking Costa Rica, Chaves is now the incoming state leader and his swearing-in ceremony as the 49th President of the Central American country is bound to take centre stage in no distant time.
Rising to full height, Chaves worked as an Economist for almost three decades at the International Financial Institution – the World Bank. A Doctorate degree holder from the prestigious Harvard University, he served as Minister of Finance under the current administration led by Carlos Alvarado for a six-month period – a national appointment that came after his resignation from the World Bank.
The renowned economist faced accusations of sexual harassment during his stint at the World Bank and mounting pressure by his accusers was perceived in some quarters as the singular reason behind his resignation from the international financial institution in 2019.
Leading the right-wing Socialist Democratic Progress Party Rodrigo Chaves swung into the race for the presidency in July, 2021 when he officially declared his candidacy and standing for the PPSD, he ran against 24 other candidates including former president Jose Maria Figueres during the first round of voting held in February 2022, which ended inclusively with none of the candidates obtaining 40 percent of the votes.
Nonetheless, both Chaves and Figueres qualified for the presidential run-off election as they polled the highest number of votes making it to the final stage. The 25-man contest eventually turned into a two-horse race between the professional economist and the longtime politician.
Persuasively, Mr. Chaves in the run-up to his election victory placed much premium and banked on his economic experience as a key asset in fixing the country. The sexagenarian ran on a promise of altering traditional party politics in Costa Rica and fighting corrupt practices tooth-and-nail.
In the final debate before the election while addressing journalists he said, “We have to make some adjustment, we have the way to do it. Costa Rica’s economy isn’t strong enough, it’s just having been badly managed and that’s where we come to fix those issues and manage our economy and our country much better.”
Coming neck-and-neck with his opponent Jose Maria Figueres into the second electoral round, opinion polls gave Rodrigo Chaves the headstart, which went in his favour towards the chances of a win in the presidential election. Apparently, Chaves kept up the momentum and from a favourite, he became the victor.
In his victory speech, he said, “For me this is not a medal nor a trophy, but rather an enormous responsibility, heaped with challenges and difficulties that we will all resolve.”
Undoubtedly, a monumental task lies in store for Rodrigo Chaves as President of Costa Rica awaiting inauguration. The Central American country of about 5.1 million inhabitants is known for its long-standing and stable democracy as well as its well-lettered labour force.
Unlike many other states in the region, San Jose has thrived in an atmosphere of peace strengthened by a consistent and stable political structure but the Central American country is faced with economic crisis in recent times.
Currently, economic instability hits the country very hard as it largely depends on imports for basic goods. The Covid-19 pandemic since its outbreak has taken a heavy toll on the Costa Rican economy leading to rising food and fuel cost.
Running a tourism-dependent economy, San Jose is confronted with rising poverty levels and the local populace getting highly frustrated with public corruption scandals and growing unemployment rates amid foreign debt profile rocking the state.
Obviously, Rodrigo Chaves will bank on his economic know-how in reviving the Costa Rican economy, forging alliances, and picking up the leadership mantle from his predecessor; Carlos Alvarado, setting the stage for a high-flying administration as many hopes.
Expectations are high on Mr. Rodrigo to change the current narratives as he heads into the Casa Presidencial, San Jose by May.