Should public employees from the President to an electric company worker be allowed to voice their opinions as the country prepares for a referendum on a trade pact with the United States ?
Presidency Minister Rodrigo Arias announced yesterday that he plans to find out, and has sent a letter to the justices of the Supreme Elections Tribunal (TSE) asking for clarification on whether Executive Branch officials can participate in the campaign in favor the Central American Free-Trade Agreement with the United States (CAFTA).
The government is not allowed to use public funds to campaign for CAFTA, up for a nationwide referendum tentatively scheduled for September. Arias has repeatedly stated that the government won't spend a cinco (fraction of a colón) on the effort. However, his letter seeks to clarify whether officials can publicize their opinions on the trade agreement.
The Electoral Code states that public employees cannot engage in political or electoral activities during working hours or use their position to benefit a political party.
Arias said he believes this provision was intended for elections in which candidates are seeking posts, not for a referendum, and that because the Executive Branch signed CAFTA in 2004, it has a right to defend the pact. Because September's vote would be modern Costa Rica's first referendum, this issue has never come up, he explained.
Asked whether the prohibition, if upheld by the TSE, could prevent some anti-CAFTA activists such as Costa Rican Electricity Institute (ICE) workers from lobbying against the pact, Arias said that question is one of the reasons the Executive Branch sent its letter. |
| 
| Exchange Rates
