Costa Rica's first female president takes office

[demoleft]

Source: afp

AFP - Laura Chinchilla became Costa Rica's first female president Saturday, taking the oath of office in an open-air public ceremony with thousands of supporters cheering her on.

The new president swore to uphold Costa Rica's constitution and accepted the presidential sash that moments before had been worn by Oscar Arias, the twice elected president who won the 1987 Nobel Peace Prize for helping end civil wars in Central America.

The 51-year-old Arias protegee became president after winning the February 7 presidential election representing the center-left National Liberation Party (PLN).

She is the third female president in Central America, after Violeta Chamorro of Nicaragua and Mireya Moscoso of Panama.

Read more: http://www.france24.com/en/20100508-costa-ricas-first-female-president-takes-office

---

good.

[ingac70]

1. Is that why Rush changed his mind....

about moving there?

[quakerboy]

4. If anything, it should help induce him to go

The article states she is a conservative, and will probably be pushing to further more free trade ideas.

[David__77]

2. It is interesting that in general, women vote to the right of men in Latin America.

This is seen again and again, from Chile to Venezuela, to Peru. The workers and left parties have stronger support among men while the right movements attract more female votes. A good read: http://books.google.com/books?id=Z9eu9eI1fwcC&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_navlinks_s#v=onepage&q&f=false

[BrklynLiberal]

3. Hmmm I wonder if the USA will ever be following in the footsteps of the so-called

"Third World" countries and actually elect a woman to be its leader.

http://www.guide2womenleaders.com/Female_Leaders.htm
WOMAN ELECTED OR APPOINTED HEADS OF STATE AND GOVERNMENT

A list of female heads of state and chiefs of government of Independent States and Self-ruling Territories from the 20th century

Also see Reigning Queens and Empresses and Female Governor Generals,
Female Presidents, Woman Premier Ministers and
Woman Premier Ministers of External Territories

[quakerboy]

5. When we do, lets pick a good one

Not a Palin type. Its gonna happen sometime, so lets not screw it up as we have so much.

[BrklynLiberal]

7. My hopes as well....when we finally do it...let us do it correctly

[Beacool]

10. We already had a good one.

No, we already HAVE a damn good one who tops the polls as the most popular politician in the country.

;-)

[quakerboy]

13. We elected a female president when I wasnt looking?

Or did I misunderstand something here?

[Beacool]

14. I meant that we have a darn good woman who has the qualifications to be president.

;)

[quakerboy]

15. Personally, I'd say there is more than one.

I get your drift, I just don't go with it. I question how much she will really want to jump into this in 2016. Plus I kinda desperately want a real outsider, no matter how unrealistic it is to wish for.

[Beacool]

6. Argentina, Chile, Costa Rica...........

Anywhere but the US. They'll rather vote for a man, no matter how meager his level of experience. Progressive? Bah, all B.S. The left is as misogynist as the right.

x(



Good luck to President Chinchilla.

;-)

[BrklynLiberal]

8. and more...

http://www.guide2womenleaders.com/Female_Leaders.htm
WOMAN ELECTED OR APPOINTED HEADS OF STATE AND GOVERNMENT

[Beacool]

9. Yes, there are plenty of reminders.

One hard pill to swallow was the realization that the left was as anti women as the right. Policy differences are perfectly acceptable, but not the level of sexism displayed in LW blogs; the MSM (particularly the a-holes at MSNBC, specially Chris Matthews) and the silence of the Democratic party leadership. They only grudgingly addressed the issue after Hillary was safely out of the race and their guy was the nominee. That's why the DNC can go to hell as far as I'm concerned. They will never get another penny of my money nor a minute of my time. I also won't watch MSNBC and I did not renew my subscription to Newsweek. Funny how MSNBC's ratings are low and Newsweek is bleeding money faster than the oil spill and is being sold.

x(

[BrklynLiberal]

11. Their stance on womens health rights appears to corroborate their misogyny.

Or perhaps I should say their LACK of stance...

[Beacool]

12. Yep, that's why I'm done with both parties.

A pox on their houses!!!

;(

[Jennicut]

16. Yes, but they elect conservative women in those countries. She sounds terrible to me.

"Laura Chinchilla's political platform emphasized anti-crime legislation in response to Costa Rica's growing concerns over safety. She is also expected to give continuity to the current government's pro-free trade policies. She is considered a social conservative. She opposes extending equal marriage rights to gay and lesbian couples. She supports maintaining the country's prohibition of abortion under most circumstances.
She opposes any amendment of the constitution aimed at separation of church and state in Costa Rica. The constitution currently defines the Republic of Costa Rica as a Roman Catholic nation. Her position contrasts with that of former President Óscar Arias Sánchez, who supports establishing a secular state.
Laura Chinchilla is against legalizing the morning after pill, which is banned in Costa Rica." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laura_Chinchilla

She is ultra conservative, who cares if she is a woman? She is a Sarah Palin type. Yuck.

I do think there was major sexism from the media regarding Hillary...especially with regards to her clothes, did she cry, etc. Chris Matthews is just a total idiot. And I hope when we elect a woman here someday it is more like Hillary then like Sarah.

[arcos]

18. She IS terrible, an ultraconservative indeed...

And on economic policies, she's a conservative too.

The ironic thing is that her party is supposed to be center-left, socialdemocrat. But they abandoned those principles a few decades ago, and they've been moving more and more to the right.

[Beacool]

20. Well, I'm still hoping that it is still Hillary.

60 Minutes had a very nice interview with her tonight, she looked very presidential. Her approval ratings are very high, much higher than any other politician in the country.

As for Chichilla, I wish her well regardless of being too conservative for my taste.

:-)



:hi:

[arcos]

17. It is not 'good', not at all...

One of her vicepresidents is an Opus Dei member, and the other one is a banker. That pretty much sums up her policies...

She's a conservative in economic issues, and a conservative on social issues. Against any recognition for gay and lesbian couples, against any change in the restrictive abortion laws, against legalizing the freaking morning after pill.

[demoleft]

23. good because she's a woman. and i hope more will follow. n/t

[arcos]

24. A woman with an anti-women agenda...

I don't see anything good with it. Several male candidates have been considerably more pro-women than she is.

She's against the morning after pill, she's in bed with the Catholic Church, she supports all restriction on abortion (which in Costa Rica means that a women can get an abortion if her life is in extreme danger only)... I could go on and on.

In fact, feminist groups wrote an open letter during the campaign denouncing that Chinchilla didn't represent Costa Rican women. It was signed by several of the leading feminist leaders in the country.

[demoleft]

27. costaricans chose. not me. my "good" was about women taking office.

which i consider good as a trend.

[Democat]

26. All women are good?

Not sure what you mean!

[demoleft]

29. the trend of women taking leading places is good. that's what i meant. n/t

[t0dd]

19. good? yeah, Costa Rica elected their Sarah Palin equivalent! woohoo!

:eyes:

Just because she is a woman doesn't make it 'good'. She is a conservative when it comes to social issues: against abortion, against granting rights to gay couples... this is far from 'good'.

[demoleft]

22. exactly. "good" because she's a woman...

...and not much about her policies, which is costarica' business since they elected her, not me.

good because we need woman's way of feeling/doing things, good because the world has been led by males for centuries with the outcomes u can easily see and judge, good because the new millennium has a chance to strike a good chord only with a woman touch.

good because i'm tired of males greediness and aggressiveness, and being a man around 40 i include myself in the criticism.

good.

[arcos]

25. She's a male with a vagina, with no disrespect to transexuals. nt

[demoleft]

28. the disrespect is to women here, not to transexuals. some sexism here...

...blending with political legitimate objections?
or women are women only when their agenda meets the average democratic male expectations?

just kidding. i know what you mean.
but i disagree.

[MN TN]

21. Costa Rico was recently nominated as greenest, happiest country