Laura Chinchilla
Laura Chinchilla Miranda is a Costa Rican political scientist and politician who served as President of Costa Rica from 2010 to 2014. She was one of Óscar Arias Sánchez's two Vice-Presidents and his administration's Minister of Justice. She was the governing PLN candidate for president in the 2010 general election, where she won with 46.76% of the vote on 7 February. She was the eighth woman president of a Latin American country and the first and so far only woman to become President of Costa Rica. She was sworn in as President of Costa Rica on 8 May 2010.
After leaving office, she taught at Georgetown University in 2016. Chinchilla is co-chair of the Inter-American Dialogue think tank and the vice-president of Club de Madrid. Chinchilla previously served as a Fellow at the Georgetown Institute of Politics and Public Service.
Early life
Laura Chinchilla was born in the Desamparados district of San José, the oldest child of her family with three younger brothers. Her father is Rafael Ángel Chinchilla Fallas, who served as comptroller of Costa Rica from 1972 to 1987, and maintained general popularity among the public. Her mother is Emilce Miranda Castillo. She attended the University of Costa Rica where she obtained a degree in political science, and she then attended Georgetown University in the United States for a master's degree in public policy. She then returned to Costa Rica to work as a policy consultant for security and judicial reform.Chinchilla married Mario Alberto Madrigal Díaz on 23 January 1982. They divorced on 22 May 1985. Chinchilla met her second husband, José María Rico Cueto, a Spanish lawyer who held Canadian citizenship, in 1990 while both were working as consultants for the Center for the Administration of Justice at the Florida International University in Miami, Florida. The couple had a son, José María Rico Chinchilla, in 1996. Chinchilla married Rico on 26 March 2000. Chinchilla's marital history and the child she had out of wedlock did not significantly affect her political life—despite the country's significant Catholic population—due to a culture in Costa Rican politics of avoiding personal attacks.
Chinchilla became the Vice Minister of Public Security under President José María Figueres. Figueres then appointed her Minister of Public Security, and she became the first woman to hold the position. She was elected to the Legislative Assembly of Costa Rica in 2002. Chinchilla became the First Vice President of Costa Rica in 2006, also taking the position of Minister of Justice and Peace. She held these positions until 2008, when she resigned to run for President of Costa Rica in the 2010 general election.
2010 presidential campaign
Chinchilla's presidential campaign was unexpected, as she was not a prominent member of her political party, the National Liberation Party, and she had previously given little indication of an interest in the presidency. Commentators have credited President Óscar Arias with mentoring her for the presidency. During her campaign, she benefited from an image that she was an outsider while still representing political continuity from Arias's administration. Chinchilla's opponents accused her of being "a puppet of Arias", with one campaign advertisement depicting her as a marionette in his hands. She and her allies criticized double standards related to her gender, such as an increased focus on her wardrobe and suggestions that she was weaker.Chinchilla campaigned on the issues of social welfare, economic competitiveness, environmental protection, and domestic security. She used the slogan firme y honesta, suggesting both a strong criminal policy and an anti-corruption platform, both of which were significant priorities for the public. She did not explicitly campaign on women's issues so as not to alienate voters, instead promoting issues that benefited families. Major campaign promises included the construction of 20,000 low-income housing units, a reduction of the unemployment rate from 7.8% to 5.0%, and switching the nation to 95% renewable resources. She also spoke of improving infrastructure, child care, and law enforcement.
In the National Liberation Party's primary election, Chinchilla won with a 15% margin over the runner up, in part due to Arias's endorsement of her candidacy. During the general election, Chinchilla's main opponents were Ottón Solís of the Citizens' Action Party and Otto Guevara of the Libertarian Movement. She won with approximately 47% of the vote, with Solís and Guevara splitting much of the rest between them. Chinchilla had stronger support among women and the elderly. Her personality, her campaign strategy, and her womanhood were all represented as reasons for support in voter surveys. Despite this, Chinchilla did not emphasize her gender during her campaign, instead campaigning on ideas of the traditional family.
President of Costa Rica
Political capital
Chinchilla took office with the National Liberation Party holding 24 of the Legislative Assembly's 57 seats, giving her party a plurality. It attempted to reelect Luis Gerardo Villanueva as the assembly's president in violation of procedure, resulting in Juan Carlos Mendoza García of the Citizen's Action Party taking the position. Chinchilla had a mixed relationship with the legislature, feuding with both the opposition and with members of her own party. Political researcher Constantino Urcuyo estimated that only 12 members of the legislature were allied with her. One year into her term, Chinchilla rejected Mendoza's proposal to raise congressional pay, causing the coalition government to break down.Chinchilla did not have a strong political base among her constituents while president, even from voters within her own party. Much of her political capital was contingent on her association with Arias. When she diverged from his policy positions, she lost his backing as well as that of his supporters.
Chinchilla's leadership was challenged in 2011 when Arias's brother, Rodrigo Arias Sánchez, announced his candidacy for president in the 2014 general election. Making such an announcement shortly after Chinchilla took office was seen as a criticism of her leadership. This dispute caused legislators in the National Liberation Party to split into factions, with Arias supporters demanding changes in Chinchilla's administration.
Isla Calero
In 2010, the military of Nicaragua occupied the uninhabited Isla Calero, a disputed territory between the two nations. Chinchilla responded by writing a criticism of the action in the Miami Herald and seeking adjudication from the International Court of Justice. The court ordered both nations to evacuate the island in March 2011, and her response to the incident is often considered a high point of her presidency.By mid-2011, President Chinchilla decided to build a 160 kilometer gravel road along the river, as a response to what she and her government saw as a Nicaraguan invasion of Costa Rican territory. The road was officially named “Ruta 1858, Juan Rafael Mora Porras” to honor a Costa Rican hero in a show of national pride.
The road was to stretch more than 150 km. A decree of emergency allowed the government to waive environmental regulations and oversight from the General Comptroller. Neither environmental nor engineering studies were conducted before the road was announced. There were accusations of mismanagement and corruption. The Ministerio Publico announced an official inquiry about the charges of corruption. Francisco Jiménez, minister of public works and transportation, was dismissed by Chinchilla as a consequence of the affair.
Public image
Chinchilla presented a significant image of "soft or feminine" leadership. This was in part because of her leadership style of collaborating with others. Her supporters saw this as a sign of conciliation, while detractors saw it as an inability to act independently. Her leadership was often contrasted with that of her predecessor, Arias, who maintained a strong, authoritative image and was less open to collaboration.In 2013, the Mexican opinion poll firm Consulta Mitofsky released a survey that placed Chinchilla as the least popular president in Latin America with a 13% approval rate, just behind Porfirio Lobo of Honduras. At the end of Chinchilla's presidency, Costa Rica had many economic troubles. Public debt had reached 50% of GDP, unemployment was steadily rising and, despite high annual growth, 20% of the population lived below the poverty line. In 2016, Chinchilla was considered one of the most powerful women in Central America according to the World Economic Forum.
Cabinet
Chinchilla appointed 42 cabinet ministers during her presidency, and she kept several ministers from the Arias presidency. Her selection of ministers emphasized technocratic and academic experience, though the appointment of Minister of Planning Laura Alfaro was seen as a personal gesture. Minister of Public Works and Transportation Francisco Jiménez was relieved from his position due to scandal. Chinchilla elevated the National Institute of Women to cabinet level status.The following were members of Chinchilla's presidential cabinet. Names marked with an asterisk also held the position during Arias's presidency.
Policies and political views
Chinchilla's politics have been described as centre-right, and she is considered a social conservative.Economy
At the time of Chinchilla's inauguration, the Great Recession had caused Costa Rica's economy to decline, and recovery from the recession took place during her term. GDP growth reached 5% at its highest point while she was president, while overall poverty and unemployment increased.Chinchilla was expected to give continuity to the previous government's pro-free trade policies. She signed free trade agreements with China and Singapore, but the deals were not completed. Chinchilla also began the process of incorporating Costa Rica into the OECD.
Chinchilla increased taxes on corporations and allocated the funds to security.