Óscar Arias
Óscar Arias | |
|---|---|
 Óscar Arias in April 2018 | |
| 40th & 45thPresident of Costa Rica | |
| In office 8 May 2006 – 8 May 2010 | |
| Vice President | First Laura Chinchilla Second Kevin Casas |
| Preceded by | Abel Pacheco |
| Succeeded by | Laura Chinchilla |
| In office 8 May 1986 – 8 May 1990 | |
| Vice President | First Jorge Manuel Dengo Obregón Second Victoria Garrón de Doryan |
| Preceded by | Luis Alberto Monge |
| Succeeded by | Rafael Ángel Calderón |
| Deputy of theLegislative Assembly of Costa Rica | |
| In office 1 May 1978 – 2 May 1981 | |
| Preceded by | Jorge Luis Arce |
| Succeeded by | Gerardo Vega |
| Constituency | Heredia(2nd Office) |
| Minister of National Planning | |
| In office 1974–1977 | |
| President | Daniel Oduber |
| Preceded by | Himself |
| Succeeded by | Fernando Zumbado |
| Director of the Office of National Planning | |
| In office 1971–1974 | |
| President | José Figueres |
| Preceded by | Marco López |
| Succeeded by | Himself |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Óscar Arias Sánchez 13 September 1940 Heredia, Costa Rica |
| Political party | National Liberation Party |
| Alma mater | Boston University University of Costa Rica London School of Economics University of Essex |
| Signature |  |
Óscar Arias Sánchez(Spanish pronunciation:[ˈoskaɾˈaɾjas];born 13 September 1940 inHeredia, Costa Rica) is a Costa Rican activist andNobel Peace Prize laureate.He wasPresident of Costa Ricafrom 1986 to 1990 and from 2006 to 2010.
Arias was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1987 for his proposal of a negotiated solution to theCentral American crisis.He sought the support of the Contadora group for his plan, which involved the removal of all foreign powers from the region, an end to aid for antigovernment guerrillas in El Salvador and Nicaragua, and the implementation of democratic principles and a compromise peace for social reconstruction. Although his plan was not officially adopted, its key concepts were later reflected in the settlements in El Salvador (1990-1993) and Nicaragua (1989-1990).[1]
He was also a recipient of theAlbert Schweitzer Prize for Humanitarianismand a trustee ofEconomists for Peace and Security.In 2003, he was elected to the board of directors of theInternational Criminal Court's Trust Fund for Victims.[2]
Early life
[edit]Arias was born into an upper-class family in the province ofHeredia.[3]Arias concluded his secondary schooling at the Saint Francis College in the capital city ofSan José.He then went to the United States and enrolled inBoston Universitywith the intention of studying medicine, but he soon returned to his home country and completed degrees in law and economics at theUniversity of Costa Rica.In 1967, Arias traveled to the United Kingdom and enrolled in theLondon School of Economics.He received a doctoral degree in political science from theUniversity of Essexin 1974.[citation needed]
First presidency
[edit]
Arias joined theNational Liberation Party(PLN), Costa Rica's mainsocial democraticparty. In 1986 he ran successfully for president on that party's ticket. Arias's presidency saw the transformation of Costa Rica's economy from one based on the traditionalcash crops(coffeeandbananas) to one more focused on non-traditional agriculture (e.g., of exotic flowers andfruits) andtourism.Some within the PLN criticized his administration for abandoning the party's social democratic teachings and promoting aneoliberaleconomic model. He is now often regarded as a neoliberal although he is a member of a nominally social democratic party.[4]
Arias received the 1987 Nobel Peace Prize with the help of John Biehl, his peer in England, and Rodrigo Madrigal Nieto for his work towards the signing of theEsquipulas II Accords.This was a plan intended to promotedemocracyand peace on the Central Americanisthmusduring a time of great turmoil: leftist guerrillas were fighting against the governments inEl SalvadorandGuatemala,which were backed by the United States under the auspices of theCold War;theContras,supported by the United States, were fighting an insurgency against theSandinistainNicaragua;Honduras,only recently wresting political power from its military, was caught in the middle as a base for U.S. military forces; and on Costa Rica's other border,Panamafaced the oppression ofManuel Noriega's military dictatorship. With the support of Arias, the various armed conflicts ended within the decade (Guatemala's civil war finally ended in 1996).
Arias then called for a higher level of integration in the Central America region and promoted the creation of theCentral American Parliament(Parlamento Centroamericano). During his current administration, Arias has declared that Costa Rica will not enter the Central American Parliament. Arias also modified the country'seducational system.The most notable action in this respect was the reintroduction of standardized academic tests at the end of primary and secondary school.
Second presidency
[edit]
The Costa Rican constitution had been amended in 1969 to include a clause forbidding former presidents to seek re-election. Arias challenged this at the Sala IV, the Constitutional Chamber of theSupreme Court of Justice of Costa Rica,which initially rejected his application in September 2000. In 2003, a group of Arias supporters presented an unconstitutionality challenge against the 1969 constitutional amendment forbidding re-election, and this time the ruling in April 2003 struck down the prohibition against non-consecutive re-election.[5]This decision was denounced as a "state blow" or "coup d'état" by ex-presidentLuis Alberto Monge.[6][7]
Arias announced in 2004 that he intended to run again for president in theFebruary 2006 general elections.By then, he was the only living former president who was not either in jail, under indictment or facing an investigation. Though for years private polling companies and several news media published polls predicting Arias would win by a wide margin, the election was initially deemed too close to call. A month later, on 7 March, after a manual recount, the official results showed Arias beat center-left contenderOttón Solísby 18,169 votes (1.2% of valid votes cast), and finished just a few thousand votes over the 40 percent threshold required to capture the presidency in a single round. He took the oath of office at noon on 8 May 2006 at theNational Stadium.In his speech on 15 September 2008, he admitted that he was tired because of the criticism of his opponents.
On 1 June 2007, he switched Costa Rica's diplomatic recognition from theRepublic of China(Taiwan) to thePeople's Republic of China,making Costa Rica the 167th nation in the world to do so. Subsequently, under diplomatic and financial pressure from Beijing, he induced theDalai Lama,a fellowNobel Peace Prizelaureate, to postpone indefinitely a proposed and much anticipated visit during Beijing's suppression of controversial riots inTibet.[8]
At the5th Summit of the AmericasinTrinidad and Tobago,on 18 April 2009, Arias gave a speech on the topic "We've been doing something wrong". Directed at fellow Latin American leaders, he decried Latin America's lack of development compared to other parts of the world, calling for pragmatism, and more resources directed at education rather than militaries.[9]
Mediator in 2009 Honduran Constitutional Crisis
[edit]In 2009, theSupreme Court of Hondurasissued an arrest warrant for Honduran PresidentManuel Zelayabecause of violations of the constitution and laws.[10][11]Two days later, theNational Congress of Honduras(in which Zelaya's own party held 62 out of 128 seats, more than any other party), also voted to dismiss Zelaya.[12][13][14] Zelaya fled to Costa Rica. The Honduran constitution mandated that the head of Congress,Roberto Micheletti,who was next in the presidential line of succession, becomes the provisional head of state sinceVice PresidentElvin Ernesto Santoshad resigned in December 2008 to run for president. Micheletti's term ended 27 January 2010.[15]
Arias began serving as mediator between Zelaya and Micheletti in the2009 Honduran constitutional crisis.Representatives of the two Hondurans met with Arias on various occasions but so far have failed to reach any kind of agreement. As described above (with factual citations), Arias himself was initially prohibited by Costa Rica's constitutional court from another term, due to constitutionalterm limits,but this was reversed using legal means, with the consent of the Costa Rican Sala IV court, unlike in Honduras. New elections in Honduras are planned for 29 November 2009. Micheletti's government stated on 2 July 2009 that it is willing to hold this year's presidential election early. Arias presented a seven-point agreement, which calls for the return of Zelaya as president – a condition deemed unacceptable to the interim government. Zelaya's representatives accepted the Arias proposal "in principle" but Micheletti's representatives balked at the key point of Zelaya returning to power in Honduras.[16]
Health
[edit]In August 2007, Arias was affected bytendinitis,and in April 2008 he canceled some activities because of muscular pain in hislumbar region.Subsequently, due to increasing difficulty in speaking over the course of several weeks, Arias went to the PhiladelphiaEars, Nose and ThroatAssociates medical center in the United States on 20 May 2008, where it was determined that he had a nonmalignant cyst on his vocal cords. As a result, it was announced on 21 May that doctors advised him not to speak for one month, saying that if this did not help, surgery would be considered.[17]On 11 August 2009 Arias was diagnosed withH1N1Influenza, but he recovered.[18]
Controversy
[edit]Some of Arias’s actions have generated controversy:
- In 2004, in response to a rival candidate (Antonio Álvarez) for his party's nomination challenging him to a debate, Oscar Arias said: "Eagles live in high places, and make a serious mistake if they go down to the mud to fight with snails."[19]
- In 2010, during the closing weeks of his second term, he inaugurated various unachieved projects with ribbon-cutting and bronze plaque ceremonies:
- The new National Stadium, despite the fact that it was only about 75% finished.[20]
- The "new presidential offices" despite the fact that these offices do not exist yet. In fact, the land is still for sale and the Legislative Assembly has allocated no funds yet in order to buy it, let alone build anything on the vacant lot.[21]
- The new Juan Santamaría International Airport installation, despite the fact the project was only 82% completed.[22]
Further controversies followed him even after his role as a president had come to an end. The route from Escazú to Caldera built by the Spanish company Autopistas del Sol has undergone heavy criticism over the years for its high tolls and dangerous roads (which had to undergo heavy maintenance to prevent further rock slides). Oscar Arias was also blamed for having invited a Canadian corporation to perform heavy mining which could potentially compromise the local biodiversity. Their permissions were revoked during the Chinchilla Miranda administration which gave the impression of Arias-Chinchilla enmity following his sudden criticism of then president Laura Chinchilla Miranda who was popularly regarded as a successor.
Judicial accusations
[edit]In 2017 Costa Rica's General Attorney office indicted Arias for the Crucitas case, a case in which former Environment Minister Roberto Dobles and Arias as president signed a 2008 decree ceding the Canadian company Infinito Gold control over a protected area near the Nicaraguan border known as Crucitas for gold mining and declaring it "national interest",[23]something that the Prosecution argued was illegal as protected areas cannot be granted for exploitation of any kind. Dobles was previously found guilty of the charges, but Arias was not indicted alongside him by the previous General Attorney Jorge Chavarría (often accused of being close to Arias).[24]The new General Attorney Emilia Navas reopened the case indicting Arias.[24]
Also in 2019 psychiatrist and anti-Nuclear activist Alexandra Arce von Herold formally accused Arias of rape at the Public Ministry. Following her allegation three more women came to light accusing Arias of sexual harassment and misconduct.[23][25]Arias denied the charges.[23]In December 2020, all sexual harassment charges against Arias were dismissed.[26]
Definitive acquittal and dismissal
[edit]After more than a year of investigations, and in the absence of evidence, the cases were dismissed by the prosecution. Due to the request of the two complainants, requiring, therefore, the revocation of the instance and subsequent dismissal.[27]The definitive dismissal was ordered by Judge Natalia Rodríguez Solís, of the Pavas Criminal Court.[28]
Regarding the "Crucitas" case, in October 2019 the former president was completely released from the case, according to a judicial resolution.[29]
Recognitions and awards
[edit]Arias has received over fifty honorary degrees, including doctorates fromHarvard University,Princeton University,Dartmouth College,Oberlin College,Wake Forest University,Ithaca CollegeandWashington University in St. Louis.[citation needed]
Among the main awards received are:
- Premio de la Paz Martin Luther King Jr.
- Medalla de la Libertad de Filadelfia.
- Premio Jackson Ralston.
- Premio Principe de Asturias.
- Premio Humanitario Albert Schweitzer.
- Premio de las Américas.
Personal life
[edit]Arias is descended fromAna Cardoso,an enslaved woman from Cartago.[30]
Publications
[edit]Books
[edit]- 1970Grupos de presión en Costa Rica
- 1976Quién gobierna en Costa Rica
- 1977Democracia, independencia y sociedad latinoamericana
- 1978Los caminos para el desarrollo de Costa Rica
- 1979Nuevos rumbos para el desarrollo costarricense
- 1984 ¿Quien gobierna en Costa Rica?
- 1984 Nuevos rumbos para el desarrollo costarricense
- 1985 Democracia, independencia y sociedad latinoamericana
- 1989 El camino de la paz
- 1990 Horizontes de Paz
- 1990 La semilla de la paz
- 1994 Nuevas dimensiones de la educación
- 2005Hagamos juntos el camino(Discursos, artículos y ensayos)
- 2007 Sigamos Avanzando
- 2012 Con velas, timón y brújula
- 2023 The Power of ideas
Articles
[edit]Former President Arias has written several opinion articles during his career, which have been published in different journalistic media:
- Por amor a la política
- Carta de Oscar Arias sobre flujo de armas a Nicaragua
- A 30 años de la firma del Plan de Paz
- To stem the child migrant crisis, first stop poverty and violence
- Lo humanamente correcto
- Consejo a los jóvenes de mi país
- Mi opinión sobre el proceso de negociación de la paz en Colombia
- «The memory of a rare success»
- Y ladrillo a ladrillo, fuimos construyendo la paz
- Es vital para el país aprobar la reforma fiscal
Speeches
[edit]Former President Arias has made a series of speeches, which can be found atViaf.org:
| Características del desarrollo pasado en Costa Rica y perspectivas para el futuro |
| Con velas, timón y brújula |
| Demobilization, demilitarization, and democratization in Central America |
| Democracia, independencia y sociedad Latinoamericana |
| El camino de la paz |
| El Estado y la enseñanza de los derechos humanos: expositores, lección inaugural, 12 de junio 1991, Universidad de San Carlos Guatemala |
| El Nobel: historia, análisis, galardonados. |
| Entrevista con Oscar Arias Sánchez |
| Esquipulas, diez años después: hacia donde va Centroamérica? |
| Estrategia y plan global: Versión preliminar |
| Friede für Zentralamerika, 1987: |
| Green markets: the economics of economics of sustainable development |
| Hagamos juntos el camino: discursos, artículos y ensayos |
| Horizons of peace: the Costa Rican contribution to the peace process in Central America |
| La Nación y la peligrosa concentración de poder en el gobierno de Carazo Odio |
| La paz: una causa ganadora |
| La Paz no tiene fronteras; [Sólo la Paz puede escribir la Nueva Historia]: Discursos pronunciados en Oslo, Noruega, el 10 y el 11 de diciembre de 1987, con ocasión de recibir el Premio Nobel de la Paz de 1987 |
| La semilla de la paz: selección de discursos |
| Le traité sur le commerce des armes: genèse, analyse, enjeux, perspectives du premier instrument juridique consacré à la réglementation des transferts internationaux d'armes conventionnelles |
| Leadership and global governance |
| Los desafíos del siglo XXI desde América Latina |
| Nuevas dimensiones de la educación, 1994: |
| Prospectiva del siglo XXI: Entender las mega-tendencias y la nueva globalización, para construir futuros desde la Prospectiva Estratégica |
| Regionalización de Costa Rica para la planificación del desarrollo y la administración |
| Ten years after Esquipulas: looking toward the future: delivered at the ACUNS Tenth Annual Meeting = Diez años después de Esquipulas: mirando hacia el futuro: presentado en la Décima asamblea anual de ACUNS |
| The arms bazaar: 1995 Paul G. Hoffman Lecture |
| The struggle for peace |
| Veus de pau a la Pedrera: per la Cultura de Pau, fem possible el desarmament: Barcelona, 15 de desembre de 2000 |
References
[edit]- ^Vicki Cox,Oscar Arias Sánchez: Bringing Peace to Central America(Infobase Publishing, 2007).
- ^Amnesty International,12 September 2003,"Amnesty International welcomes the election of a Board of Directors".Archived from the original on 15 April 2006.Retrieved1 August2007.
{{cite web}}:CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link).Retrieved 1 August 2007. - ^https://web.archive.org/web/20150524080817/http://www.genealogia.or.cr/docs/revistas/accg_revista012.pdfAcademia Costarricense de Ciencias Genealógicas.(in Spanish)p. 163
- ^"He is often identified as a'neoliberal' and accused of being in the service of the big capitalists of the country and the transnationals, in spite of his being a member of the National Liberation Party, which defines itself as socialdemocratic.""First Micheletti-Zelaya meeting since the events of 28 June will be in Costa Rica"El Heraldo(6 July 2009). Original in Spanish.
- ^"Reeleccion seduce a los presidentes de America"Archived13 September 2013 at theWayback Machine,El Nuevo Diario, Managua, 18 July 2007. Retrieved July 2009;"Reelecion presidencial: Arias sin prohobicion para postularse",La Nacion, Costa Rica, 5 April 2003.
- ^Luis Alberto Monge (20 March 2004).Reelección: desafío a la Constitución.Nacion.com. Retrieved 2012-09-15.
- ^Luis Alberto Monge: La violencia engendra violencia – www.sepamosserlibres.org.Lospobresdelatierra.org (April 2005). Retrieved 2012-09-15.
- ^"Grupo tibetano: Arias pidió al Dalái Lama que no venga".20 August 2008.
- ^"ALGO HICIMOS MAL: Palabras del presidente Óscar Arias en la Cumbre de las Américas".Archived from the original on 29 April 2009.Retrieved29 April2009.
{{cite web}}:CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link).Trinidad y Tobago. Nacion (18 April 2009). - ^ On 12 November 2008, the Supreme Court of Justice determined that the modifications to articles 239 and 240 promulgated by Congress in 1998 and 2002 were unconstitutional and returned these two articles to their state in the 1982 constitution.Vigentes artículos pétreos.Retrieved 5 August 2009.Archived5 August 2009.
- ^Articulo 239: El ciudS Congress Communiqué explaining why ex President Zelaya was removed. Accessdate 9 July 2009
- ^"Micheletti podría asumir en Honduras"(in Spanish). 28 June 2009. Archived fromthe originalon 6 January 2010.
- ^"Micheletti sería el nuevo presidente de Honduras"(in Spanish). Diario digital de noticias de El Salvador. 28 June 2009. Archived fromthe originalon 4 December 2009.Retrieved17 August2009.
- ^ "Honduran Congress names provisional president".CNN. 28 June 2009.
- ^"Honduran president overthrown, new leader voted in".The Sydney Morning Herald.29 June 2009.
- ^"Honduras negotiations snag over unity government".CTV (Canada). 28 July 2009.Archivedfrom the original on 1 January 2013.
- ^"Doctors tell Costa Rican leader to rest voice",Associated Press (22 May 2008).[dead link]
- ^"Presidente de Costa Rica contrae gripe AH1N1",El Mundo (2009-08-12)
- ^"Álvarez reta a Arias a discutir plan fiscal".Nacion.com. Retrieved 2018-01-05.
- ^"China exhibe avance de 75% en construcción de Estadio Nacional de Costa Rica".Terra.com. Retrieved 2012-09-15.
- ^"Arias develó placa de futura Casa Presidencial en un parqueo"Archived18 March 2012 at theWayback Machine.Nacion.com (4 May 2010). Retrieved 2012-09-15.
- ^"Arias inaugura el Santamaría con 82% de avance en obras"Archived18 June 2010 at theWayback Machine.Nacion.com (29 April 2010). Retrieved 2012-09-15.
- ^abcRobles, Francis (5 February 2019)."Former President of Costa Rica Is Accused of Sexual Assault".The New York Times.Retrieved7 February2019.
- ^abMadrial, Luis (2 November 2017)."Caso Crucitas: Los eventos que llevaron a reabrir la causa contra Óscar Arias".Mundo.cr. Archived fromthe originalon 6 August 2023.Retrieved7 February2019.
- ^Cordoba, Javier (5 February 2019)."Costa Rica ex-leader Oscar Arias accused of sexual assault".The Washington Post.Archived fromthe originalon 5 February 2019.Retrieved7 February2019.
- ^Garza, Jeffry (7 December 2020)."Óscar Arias obtiene sobreseimiento definitivo por denuncias de violación y abuso sexual".LaRepublica.com.Retrieved10 December2020.
- ^"Charges of rape and sexual abuse dismissed against former president Oscar Arias".Q COSTA RICA.12 December 2020.Retrieved25 August2023.
- ^"Óscar Arias obtiene sobreseimiento definitivo por denuncias de violación y abuso sexual".www.larepublica.net(in Spanish).Retrieved25 August2023.
- ^"Óscar Arias queda libre del caso Crucitas".www.larepublica.net(in Spanish).Retrieved25 August2023.
- ^Lohse, Russell (2016),"Cardoso, Ana",Dictionary of Caribbean and Afro–Latin American Biography,Oxford University Press,doi:10.1093/acref/9780199935796.001.0001,ISBN978-0-19-993579-6,retrieved18 February2024
Further reading
[edit]- Abrams, Irwin. "Behind the scenes: The Nobel Committee and Oscar Arias."The Antioch Review46.3 (1988): 364-373.online
- Anglade, Christian. "President Arias of Costa Rica."PS: Political Science & Politics21.2 (1988): 357-359.online
- Cox, Vicki.Oscar Arias Sánchez: Bringing Peace to Central America(Infobase Publishing, 2007).
External links
[edit]
- Interview in Guernica magazine
- Official biographyat theWayback Machine(archived 19 March 2009)(in Spanish)
- Ubben Lecture at DePauw University; 8 December 2010 (includes audio/video)
- English translation of the "Algo hicimos mal" speech
- U.S.: Arias Government Knew How The Constitutional Court Would Vote On The TLC/WikiLeaks On Costa Rica: Translated From La Nación
- Accomplishments of Oscar Arias Sanchez
- Education Center Named After Oscar AriasArchived24 October 2021 at theWayback Machine
- Biography by CIDOB(in Spanish)
- AppearancesonC-SPAN
- Óscar Ariason Nobelprize.org
- 1940 births
- Living people
- People from Heredia (canton)
- Costa Rican people of Spanish descent
- National Liberation Party (Costa Rica) politicians
- 20th-century presidents of Costa Rica
- Costa Rican Christian socialists
- University of Costa Rica alumni
- Alumni of the University of Essex
- Alumni of the London School of Economics
- Boston University alumni
- Costa Rican Nobel laureates
- Nobel Peace Prize laureates
- Members of the Inter-American Dialogue
- 20th-century Costa Rican politicians
- 21st-century Costa Rican politicians