Q COSTARICA — As background, President Rodrigo Chaves acknowledged some decisions he made during his time in office, which he now regrets, just weeks before the end of his term.
As he begins the final stretch of his four-year presidential term, Chaves reflected on his regrets as the leader of the country.
In this regard, the president stated that his greatest regret is related to the time wasted trying to negotiate a hardline criminal policy with the opposition and the judiciary.
According to him, members of parliament like Rodrigo Arias and Gloria Navas, and Judge Patricia Solano, are not interested in these issues because they have a pro-crime perspective, favoring criminals over victims.
“I regret wasting my time talking with Rodrigo Arias, Gloria Navas, and Patricia Solano, having tea and cookies, trying to convince them to take action against crime, until April 2023, when, in a speech they called for my resignation, I told the then Minister of the Presidency: ‘You withdraw everything we presented against organized crime and drug trafficking, and let them, like men and women, shoulder their share,’” Chaves said.
This reflection stems from the fact that Costa Rica has seen more than 800 murders per year for the past three years due to a war between criminal gangs.
This has made crime the country’s main problem, and just days before leaving office, the political class failed to agree on comprehensive legislation to address the issue, despite four years in office.
“I spent, as a Costa Rican would say, almost a year, 11 months, trying to do it all at once, and if we have common interests and the nonsense about how those factions led, I should have started harder from the beginning, there I share a regret,” Chaves concluded.