As the results from the municipal elections continued to trickle in yesterday, it became increasingly clear that Sunday was a very good day for the National Liberation Party (PLN) and a bad day for voter turnout.

The green-and-white party, which started the year by winning the presidency, as well as more legislative seats than any other party, in February's national elections, continued its sweep by winning

58 of the 81 mayoral seats, according to preliminary counts at polling stations. At press time, 4,686 stations had reported their rates, with 166 to go.

The official manual count begins today and will take approximately two weeks, Supreme Elections Tribunal (TSE) spokesman Cedric Solano told The Tico Times.

Approximately 24% of eligible Ticos turned out to vote, which represents a 1% increase from the 2002 municipal elections.

Those who turned out cast their votes for a significant change in the political makeup of the country's mayors, reflecting national trends. The Social Christian Unity Party (PUSC), which dominated the municipal scene from 2002-2006 with 48 mayoral seats, retained only 11, while Liberation shot up from 27 to 58.

The Citizen Action Party (PAC) won four seats, the Libertarian Movement won one, and the National Union Party (PUN) won two. The Union for Change party, which was unsuccessful in its presidential and legislative bids in February, won the Montes de Oca race, with former Labor Minister Fernando Trejos taking over the eastern San José suburb. Rounding out the results were four local parties.

Leading the Liberation charge was San José Mayor Johnny Araya, who, despite corruption allegations, won a second term by a landslide; at press time, the vote count showed him with 69.03%.

Solano said the results of the manual count are likely to be very similar to the preliminary results.

Voters also elected other municipal and district officials, filling more than 4,000 positions; the new officials take office Feb. 5.

*Preliminary results with 4,686 polling stations counted and 166 still to be counted. Listed in order released.

Source: Supreme Elections Tribunal (TSE)

SAN JOSÉ PROVINCE
CANTON	PRELIMINARY WINNER	PARTY
San José	Johnny Araya	National Liberation Party (PLN)
Escazú	Marco Antonio Segura	PLN
Desamparados	Maureen Fallas	PLN
Puriscal	Jorge Luis Chaves	PLN
Tarrazú	Iván Suárez	PLN
Aserrí	Mario Morales	PLN
Mora	Gilberto Monge	PLN
Goicoechea	Oscar Enrique Figueroa	PLN
Santa Ana	Gerardo Oviedo	PLN
Alajuelita	Tomás Poblador	PLN
Vásquez de Coronado	Leonardo Herrera	PLN
Acosta	Rónald Durán	PLN
Tibás	Jorge Antonio Salas	Citizen Action Party (PAC)
Moravia	Edgar Vargas	PAC
Montes de Oca	Fernando Trejos	Union for Change (UPC)
Turrubares	Rafael Vindas	Social Christian Unity Party (PUSC)
Dota	José Valverde	PLN
Curridabat	Edgar Mora	Curridabat 21st Century Party
Pérez Zeledón	Rosibel Ramos	PUSC
León Cortés	Leonardo Quesada	PLN
ALAJUELA PROVINCE
Central	Joyce Zürcher	PLN
San Ramón	Raúl Antonio Gómez	PLN
Grecia	Giovanny Arguedas	PLN
San Mateo	Erwen Yanán Masis	PUSC
Atenas	Wilberth Martín Aguilar	PUSC
Naranjo	Eugenio Padilla	PLN
Palmares	Luis Carlos Castillo	PLN
Poás	José Joaquín Brenes	PLN
Orotina	Emilio Jesús Rodríguez	PLN
San Carlos	Alfredo Córdoba	PLN
Alfaro Ruiz	Marco Vinicio Rodríguez	PLN
Valverde Vega	Víctor Manuel Rojas	PUSC
Upala	Juan Bosco	PLN
Los Chiles	Santiago Millón	PLN
Guatuso	Fidel Condega	PLN
CARTAGO PROVINCE
Cartago	Rolando Alberto Brenes	PLN
Paraíso	Marvin Solano	Libertarian Movement (ML)
La Unión	Julio Antonio Rojas	PLN
Jiménez	Jorge Humberto Solano	PLN
Turrialba	Luis Alfonso Pérez	PLN
Alvarado	Angel Raquel López	PLN
Oreamuno	Gerardo Wálter Granados	National Union Party (PUN)
El Guarco	William Adolfo Cerdas	PLN
HEREDIA PROVINCE
Heredia	José Manuel Ulate	PLN
Barva	Mercedes Hernández	PLN
Santo Domingo	Raúl Isidro Bolaños	PLN
Santa Bárbara	Rolando Hidalgo	PLN
San Rafael	Alberto Vargas	PAC
San Isidro	Elvia Dicciana Villalobos	PLN
Belén	Horacio Alvarado	PUSC
Flores	Jenny Alfaro	PAC
San Pablo	Aracelly Salas	PUSC
Sarapiquí	Pedro Rojas	PLN
GUANACASTE PROVINCE
Liberia	Carlos Luis Marín	PLN
Nicoya	Lorenzo Rosales	PLN
Santa Cruz	Jorge Enrique Chavarría	PLN
Bagaces	Luis Angel Rojas	PLN
Carrillo	Carlos Gerardo Cantillo	PLN
Cañas	Katia María Solórzano	PLN
Abagares	Jorge Calvo	PLN
Tilarán	Jovel Arias	PUSC
Nandayure	Luis Gerardo Rodríguez	PUN
La Cruz	Carlos Matías Gonzaga	PLN
Hojancha	Juan Rafael Marín	PLN
PUNTARENAS PROVINCE
Puntarenas	Agne Gómez	PLN
Esparza	Dagoberto Venegas	PUSC
Buenos Aires	Primo Feliciano Alvarez	PLN
Montes de Oro	Alvaro Jiménez	PLN
Osa	Jorge Alberto Cole	PLN
Aguirre	Oscar Monge	Aguirre Labor Organization
Golfito	Jimmy José Cubillo	PLN
Coto Brus	Rafael Angel Navarro	PUSC
Parrita	William Carvajal	Costa Rican Renovation Party
Corredores	Gerardo Ramírez	PLN
Garabito	Marvin Elizondo	PLN
LIMON PROVINCE
Central	Eduardo Barboza	PLN
Pococí	Enrique Alfaro Vargas	PLN
Siquirres	Edgar Cambornero	Siquirres Independent Action Party
Talamanca	Rugeli Morales	PUSC
Matina	Lorenzo Colphan	PLN
Guácimo	Gerardo Fuentes	PLN

Leaders from President Oscar Arias' administration yesterday announced a national plan to crack down on drugs during the next five years, keeping in line with what they called an aggressive approach to the problem the administration has taken since Arias took office in May, according to a statement from Casa Presidencial.

Oscar Arias' brother, Presidency Minister Rodrigo Arias, as well as Vice-President Laura Chinchilla and Public Security Minister Fernando Berrocal, held a press conference yesterday to explain the plan and the results of a study conducted recently to assess the drug situation in Costa Rica.

Among the study's findings are that 18.7 metric tons of cocaine have been seized since Arias took office in May, almost double the 9.8 tons seized all year during 2005.

Additionally, authorities have seized 60.3 kilograms of heroine so far this year, surpassing the 50.6 kilos seized last year, and 127,830 doses of crack.

“The main problem in Costa Rica is the consumption of crack, a very addictive type of drug,” Berrocal said.

Arrests of drug traffickers during the first eight months of Arias' administration are also up 183% over the year 2005, according to the statement.

To remain tough on drugs, the administration is launching the National Anti-Drug Plan to go into effect from 2007-2012. It aims to combat poverty, prevent drug use and treat young drug addicts at a detoxification center to be financed with funds from the Child Welfare Office (PANI), Costa Rican Anti-Drug Institute (ICD), Institute of Alcoholism and Drug Abuse (IAFA) and San José Social Protection Council, explained Chinchilla, who yesterday wore her hats of Justice Minister and President pro tempore, as President Oscar Arias was in Washington, D.C.

Chinchilla said authorities are also studying legal reforms to “adopt Costa Rican laws to the reality of the drug trade so that Costa Rica doesn't become a country favorable to this type of crime.”

Minister Arias emphasized that increasing funding for education and improving living conditions in poverty-stricken shantytowns are other ways the administration is working to “strengthen families and avoid children and adolescents becoming the most vulnerable victims of drug trafficking,” the statement said.

-Tico Times

-Tico Times