Social Christian Unity (PUSC) party candidate Rodolfo Piza, who didn´t make the cut during the regular balloting Sunday, has offered support for one of the two candidates April 6 during the runoff election, But, he says, like the frequent special offers advertised here, “some restrictions apply.”
Obviously, he feels the time has come for some horse-trading, usually not so public as in his announcement Wednesday. And it would seem that he is being very democratic about it, evenhandedly offering a deal to both parties.
Piza’s support is predicated on a number of stipulations: Most of them are “givens,” such as division of the branches of government, protection of democratic principles, right to private property, rescue of the Social Security universal health care and pension system.
Some are so vague as to be easy to promise since no one really knows what they mean, such as “reestablishment of equity and social solidarity,” combating corruption, respect for a free press and labor rights and right to information.
All these are very basic principles to most Costa Ricans, and some are easy to promise but then to get “lost” in the hurly-burly of running a country, such as reduction of excess paperwork, combating special privilege and disproportionate salaries in public administration.
The former candidate who got a late start and drew an anemic 5.9% of the vote plus eight lawmakers for the Social Christians, admitted that neither runoff candidate had contacted him by last Wednesday.
In other runoff news,the two candidates in the second round of the election, Luis Guillermo Solis of Citizen Action party and Johnny Araya of the National Liberation party, agreed to limit the number of debates in which they would participate.
It would seem that the great number of debates leading up to the election probably has pretty well tired out the electorate. Those who were paying any sort of attention to the election probably watched at least one debate on TV. What more remains to be said?
Article by iNews.co.cr
