The president-elect is expected to maintain pro-business and pro-free trade policies while ramping up the fight against crime and narcotics trafficking.
Laura Chinchilla, hand-picked successor of President Óscar Arias, won the February 7 election. She will be the first woman to serve as Costa Rica's president.
From October 2009 through October 2010, seven presidential races are taking place in Latin America, with elections in Uruguay, Honduras, Bolivia, Chile, Costa Rica, Colombia, and Brazil. AS/COA offers an interactive guide to the results thus far and poll figures for elections yet to come.
A policy update in the Fall 2009 issue of Americas Quarterly examines health care systems in Cuba, Chile, Colombia, and Costa Rica.
The H1N1 virus has cropped up across the Western Hemisphere. As North America prepares for flu season, lessons learned during the Southern Cone's winter provide insight to H1N1 response.
The deposed leader, surrounded by press and supporters, stepped onto Honduran soil for half an hour on July 24 and set up camp in the Nicaragua border area the next day. The Honduran armed forces issued a communiqué that supports a proposal to restore him to office, albeit with limited powers.