Costa Rican court confirms approval of US free trade pact
Associated Press | October 22, 2007
Costa Rican court confirms approval of U.S. free trade pact
SAN JOSE, Costa Rica: Costa Rica’s top electoral court confirmed the results of an Oct. 7 referendum on a free trade agreement with the United States, saying a recount showed the ’yes’ votes only slightly lower than preliminary results had indicated.
The recount showed that 51.2 percent of the 1.57 million voters approved of the pact, while 42.2 percent voted "no." Preliminary returns had suggested an approval rate of 51.5 percent.
The other ballots were either unmarked or annulled. The court said 59.2 percent of eligible voters participated, well above the minimum 40 percent turnout required to make the vote valid.
The controversial free trade pact includes Costa Rica’s Central American neighbors - all of whom have already approved the agreement - the Dominican Republic, and the U.S..
There had been a yearlong battle over the agreement in Costa Rica, the last of the six Latin American nations to approve the accord, which has already taken effect in the Dominican Republic, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua and El Salvador.
Costa Rican President Oscar Arias called the trade deal crucial to industry in the Central American nation of 4.5 million people.
Legislators must still enact laws needed to implement the accord, the most controversial of which are bills to open state telecommunications and insurance monopolies to competition.
Critics also object to requirements that Costa Rica open its agricultural and service sectors to competitors, fearing a flood of cheap U.S. farm imports.
