Regardless whether Luis Guillermo Solís or Johnny Araya is president, the make up of the Legislative Assembly forces political parties to negotiate alliances with each other. Otherwise the Legislature will fall into paralysis.
No party has elected enough legislators to have a majority in the Assembly. The new bloc of legislators assume their duties on May 1.
If, on April 6, Araya is elected president the Partido Liberacion Nacional (PLN) will have 18 legislators. The smallest legislative force in this constitutitional era, from 1949, according to Humberto Morales, an expert in legislative matters.
If Solís is elected, the Partido Accion Cuidadana (PAC) will have 13 legislators. The rest of the legislative power is made up of nine legislators of the Frente Amplio and eight from the Partido Unidad Social Cristiana (PUSC). Otto Guevara’s group, the Movimiento Libertario with 3 seats, making up 51 of the 57 legislative seats
The balance of the seats are of smaller political parties and independents.
Rolando Araya, former presidential candidate, advisor and brother to Johnny, called the situation, “almost unmanageable”.
Former PAC presidential candidate, Otton Solís, and legislator for San José, sees it necessary to a new “modus operandi” in the country, the voters imposing legislators to work together.
The majority of the politicians, following the Feb. 2 election, see through “dialogue” as the new way to govern.
“It is clear that the country is seeking a new route and in the process does not have definitions and power is eroded” lamented Antonio Alvarez Desanti, legislator for the PLN, who admitted that the goal of PLN was to have 29 legislators, 11 more than those obtained, ensuring the party control of the legislative process.
Source: La Nacion
