Q COSTA RICA — In a charged exchange at Wednesday afternoon’s press conference, Frente Amplio legislator Edgardo Araya openly questioned the honesty of President Laura Fernández.
Araya, known for his outspoken style, did not hold back in his remarks. Amid the heated debate over pensions for former presidents, Araya questioned President Laura Fernández’s honesty, sparking a protest from the ruling party’s caucus that ended the day’s legislative session.
In his speech during the political oversight period, the Frente Amplio legislator from San Carlos said in a comment directed at Laura Fernández, “Yo creo que usted se hace la tontita” (I think you are playing dumb).
Despite the legisaltor’s attempts to apologize and claim it was a “misunderstanding”, the anger of the Partido Pueblo Soberano (PPSO) caucus was such that it simply ruined Wednesday’s legislative plenary session.
The events unfolded just as the afternoon’s session was beginning. Sibaja was the third to speak. Before him, Abril Gordienko López, of the Partido Unidad Social Cristiana (PUSC), addressed the risks of President Laura Fernández using the term “coup d’état,” and Claudia Dobles of the Coalición Agenda Ciudadana (CAC), called for Thursday’s demonstration at 4 p.m. in the Plaza de la Democracia (park in front of the Legislative building in downtown San José).
Then it was legislator Sibaja’s turn, who denounced the ruling coalition’s block of bill 24.793, the Frente Amplio’s proposal “that seeks to eliminate pensions for former presidents,” emphasizing that it would affect Rodrigo Chaves and Laura Fernández.
He pointed out that the current President will leave office at 43 years old with a pension of ¢4 million per month, despite not having specifically contributed to a pension fund for that benefit. Then, attempting to quote Fernández from her press conference Wednesday, he said, “I think she’s playing dumb, right? She’s being advised, I think that’s not the way to do it…,” but he was interrupted by an angry protest from the ruling party that ended the day’s legislative session.
During the presidential campaign, Fernández pledged to eliminate top-tier public sector “luxury pensions”, which would include pensions for former presidents.
However, during Wednesday’s press conference, when asked by the press whether these pensions should be eliminated, Laura Fernández actually defended the lifetime pensions of former presidents, marking a notable shift from her previous campaign promises.
Fernández stated that people who hold public office must contribute, just like any other worker, although she maintained that the Presidency has particular conditions that explain the financial recognition after leaving office:
“The office of President has a series of prerogatives distinct from many other public offices, and that is why a pension for former presidents is recognized worldwide. More than a pension, it is a form of recognition that, after having held this office, provides them with an income that allows them to maintain a sustainable standard of living, given that reintegration can be difficult.
“There are security issues, there are other important issues, but I believe it is relevant that these analyses be carried out, and I, for my part, as long as I can work and God grants me life and health, will do so,” said Fernández.