Quiet day in Costa Rican referendum
Quiet Day in Costa Rican Referendum
San Jose, Oct 6 2007 (Prensa Latina) — Organizations both against and for the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with the United Sates predicted there will be a peaceful day in Costa Rica on Sunday, when the fate of that pact is decided.
Although the debate stirred up great passion in almost all strata of the society, the two parties in conflict coincided on the level of maturity of voters to accept the result.
Fabio Chavez, leader of the Costa Rican Electricity Institute’s workers union, stated that the county is trying to achieve peaceful but massive participation of voters.
Chavez, also member of the Patriotic Movement for a NO to the FTA, said there are no signs to fear confrontations in voting, after revealing preliminary results.
Francisco Pacheco, assistant campaign chief for the Alliance for a YES, told Prensa Latina that a great majority of people will attend the referendum in the framework of the country’s democratic tradition and judiciary system.
Authorities reported that almost 8,000 Public Forces members and the Costa Rican civil police will monitor as of Saturday the main cities of the nation.
Nearly 2.7 million people will vote tomorrow in polling stations to decide in a referendum whether this trade accord is to be ratified or not, an unprecedented happening in the political history of Costa Rica.
