First female president of Costa Rica to be inaugurated

laura chinchilla

Throughout our history, Belize has not had a woman run for Prime Minister.  But the region is fast catching on to the power wielded by strong women.  Both Panama and Nicaragua have had women at the helm of government. In Trinidad, the United National Congress hopes to make Kamla Persad-Bissessar their first female Prime Minister. That election will take place on May twenty-fourth. However, Costa Rica’s election took place back in February and the citizens of that nation have elected their first female President. Laura Chinchilla is hours away from her inauguration and she spoke to News Five about the future of her administration.

Jose Sanchez, Reporting

On Saturday the president Elect of Costa Rica will be inaugurated.  Laura Chinchilla will be the first woman to be elected to her country’s highest post.

Laura Chinchilla, President -Elect, Republic of Costa Rica

“It is certainly an honor and I feel very proud to be part of this important part of our history. But at the same time, I feel very, very concerned about trying to satisfy all the expectations concerning the role I’m going to play as the first woman president. I think this is part of a process that was initiated in Costa Rica many years ago. We have been opening spaces in favor of women. At this time, for example, we have forty percent of women represented in congress. So I feel that naturally the next step was to have a woman president. Well, the time arrived and I feel very proud to be the first woman.”

Like the rest of Latin America, Costa Rica is faced with an increase in crime. Chinchilla’s government will do all in its power to curb criminal activity.

Laura Chinchilla

“The factors associated with this violence has to do with organized crime, narco-trafficking, the presence of drugs in the region is very strong. It has to do with problems of access to opportunity by the young people, it has to do with a very disorganized development of human areas. So what we are proposing to work with a very integrated approach to combat crime. So at the same time we are going to improve the presence of our police patrolling the streets, we are going to work together with the judicial branch to implement the laws we already have, we are also going to invest in prevention with young people, and we are also going to invest in improving our cities so they can be better places for the people.”

Chinchilla intends to develop a relationship with Belize during her term in office.

Laura Chinchilla

“I think that we should be a little bit closer to Belice. Belice is a country that we feel a little far from here. I don’t k now if it is because of the language or if it is because Belice for sometime was not very involved in the Central American institution, but in the last years we see very Belice active in all of the meetings, in all of the summits.  Belice has wonderful things we can learn from so I hope that Costa Rica and Belice will have a closer relationship, a more productive relationship in the next years.”

Reporting for News Five, Jose Sanchez.

Channel Five will bring you the live broadcast of the historical event on Saturday.