First female set to win Costa Rica presidency

February 07, 2010
SAN JOSE: Costa Ricans vote for a successor to President Oscar Arias in general elections on Sunday, with a woman poised to become the Central American nation's first female head of state.

Pre-election surveys showed a strong lead for ruling National Liberation Party's Laura Chinchilla, a former vice president, over right-wing opposition candidate Otto Guevara and Otton Solis, from the center-left.

They have both accused her of being a puppet of Arias, and many see the elections as referendum on the legacy of the internationally-recognized former Nobel Peace Prize winner.

The leading candidate needs 40 percent of the vote to avoid a second round, which, if necessary, would take place on April 4.

Six others are also running in a race that will again test the popularity of the National Liberation Party (PLN), which has dominated politics in Costa Rica for the past six decades.

Rising insecurity is a key concern for voters in a country which prides itself on its stability in a region wracked by drug trafficking, gang violence and awash with guns from decades of civil wars.

Some 2.8 million inhabitants of the nation famed for its lush vegetation and fauna can vote for a new president, two vice presidents, as well as lawmakers and municipal leaders.

Almost 40 percent of the 57 parliamentary seats are currently occupied by women.

Polling stations are set to open from 6:00 am (1200 GMT) to 6:00 pm (0000 GMT).

First exit polls, of around 10 percent of the vote, are due two hours after closing.

Some 200 international observers, including members of the Organization of American States (OAS), are due to oversee the elections.

Thousands of children have been encouraged to take part in simultaneous mock voting under a project to promote democratic participation in Latin America's oldest democracy.

The new president is due to take over on May 8.

Comments

India's swine flu death rate is increasing

Friday, August 14, 2009 MUMBAI: A 26-year-old woman died Thursday of H1N1 swine flu in the southern city of Bangalore, raising India's death toll from the virus to 20, authorities said.The death was the first reported in India's information technology capital, the Press Trust of India reported.Meanwhile in Pune, the worst-affected in India, two more victims of the virus died Thursday, raising the death toll in that western city near Mumbai to 12, the report said. The victims were an 11-month-old boy and a 75-year-old old woman.US media reported movie halls, schools and colleges were ordered closed Thursday for three days to a week in Mumbai, the commercial and financial capital of the country, as fear of the pandemic spread.Prajakata Lavangare, a spokeswoman for the government of Maharashtra state of which Mumbai is the capital, said similar orders were issued in Pune, which is also located in the state.The woman who died in Bangalore was identified only as Roopa, a teacher in

Cuba's world-famous cigar festival closes in Havana

Sunday, February 28, 2010 HAVANA: Hundreds of wealthy merchants and cigar aficionados from all parts of the world gathered in Havana this week to bid high stakes for humidors full of premium cigars. Cuba's annual Habanos festival ended on Friday night with an auction of ornate humidors of cedar and mahogany stacked with hand-rolled stogies that raised 800,000 euros ($1.09 million dollars). Habanos S.A. executives this month said cigar sales fell 8 percent to $360 million in 2009, so they have created the Julieta, a smaller, milder version of the Romeo y Julieta cigar, aimed specifically at female smokers. Women now make up only 5 to 10 percent of customers for Habanos. But even with the creation of the Julieta, Garcia said Habanos has only modest hopes for 2010 sales, due largely to a weak economy in Spain, the biggest market for Cuban cigars. The flavor of premium tobacco relies on the soil and climate in which it is grown. The western province of Pinar Del Rio, famous fo

Cyprus lace to be declared UNESCO cultural heritage

Tuesday, September 08, 2009 NICOSIA: Traditional hand-made lace produced in the Larnaca district village of Lefkara in Cyprus known as lefkaritiko includeded in UNESCO’s list of Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH). Soseilos said that the relevant UNESCO committee has already decided to include lefkaritiko in its list of the world’s ICH, a more recent addition to UNESCO’s long-standing list of World Heritage sites, and the decision will be formally announced at the UNESCO General Assembly next month. The tradition of needlework and lace embroidery in Lefkara goes back centuries.

ONE NEWS

Search This Blog