Post election, the Partido Liberación Nacional (PLN) is looking to place the blame for their defeat. A splinter group of the party headed by Fernando Berrocal, former minister of Seguridad in the Arias (2006-2010) administration, is demanding the resignation of PLN campaign manager Antonion Álvarez Desanti, of his legislative seat.
Berrocal and the group accuses Desanti of “burying the party this time”, saying that “having money gives him a lot of political clout and the rest of us, all we can do is be silent”.
Berrocal was a pre-presidential candidate for the 2014 elections, bowing out to make way for Johnny Araya.
The group feels Desanti sold them (PLN party) out.
In his letter, Berrocal says the PLN lost the election because of “a group of neo-liberal interests, linked to some sectors of the conservative economic powers in Costa Rica”.
The group not only wants Desanti to resign his legislative seat, but to leave the party for once and for all.
Perhaps Berrocal should blame himself for the defeat of the PLN. He stepped aside to make way for Araya to get the nomination when it should have been apparent to any party insider that Araya had too many problems to sustain the scrutiny the campaign would bring.
While this article doesn’t really explain how this splinter group believes that Desanti was responsible for their defeat, unless he was responsible for the PLN backing Araya, this charge is ridiculous. Araya lost because too many people believed that he was a crook. As the election day approached, more revelations and allegations surfaced that caused voters to question Araya’s integrity. Araya saw the writing on the wall and backed out of the campaign to save face and/or stop the scrutiny into his actions. I can see Berrocal blaming himself or Araya, but the charge against Desanti just looks like a power play.
Expatin Paradise you are correct – I add that it was probally Desanti that either bankrolls or knows the people that are the heavy contributors and those people who wanted to profit with Araya – I do believe that Costa Rica needs to purge the old guard and that means breaking up the big money backers and get to what President Obama did which was finance his campaign with many individual contributors (small) as well as big money. Arayaism is the old guard – including Figueres and the other past president who have been accused of crimes. This is a truly wonderful country and as it is so small there is a real chance of positive change. We have seen many improvements in Tico culture recently – hopefully will we see young leaders who really care about the country – the problem is Ticos seem to want to grow the government – and government never is as good an employer as the private sector – just look at ICE and the Caja – full of inefficiency and corruption *thievery. Why? Because people feel justified to steal faceless money. Now if it was private money – someones money rather than everyones money (government money) than the owner would care and thievery would be much less and costs would be less as well, But Ticos want to raise taxes to grow government and create a bigger pot from which to steal. I believe this stems from gringo influence and US indoctrination that values materialism over family and real freedom – from government intrusion. Its ironic that many of us came here to live differently yet now mainstream US is here and they bring their cultural ways with them, radical feminism devaluing motherhood, consumerism, social isolation and infect the culture with the traits we came to escape.
Are you brain damaged??? Oscar Arais and his Mafia, La Nacion, Repretel,Teletica.. decide, manipulate and control all political, media, economic and judical proceedings in Costa Rica, And QCOSTARICA runs this incompete disinformacion of neoliberal BS..Your pero falderos of the Arias/Solis/laDIS COSA NOSTRA