Who is Rodrigo Chaves, the controversial economist who offers a change in Costa Rica | PROFILE

Economist and former World Bank official Rodrigo Chavez He aspires to become president of Costa Rica in next Sunday’s ballot with a proposal that offers a change in the way of governing and with attacks on the parties that have been in power for the last decades.

The candidate of the practically unknown Social Democratic Progress Party, gave the surprise on February 6 in the first round by finishing in second place to get into the second round against the former president Jose Maria Figuerescandidate for the traditional National Liberation Party.

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Chaves, 60 years old, has proposed attacking the corruption for which he blames previous governments, including those of the rival party, and applying profound reforms of the State through the referendum, which has been branded by his opponents as populism. .

Among the candidate’s promises are the reduction of procedures for entrepreneurs and social charges, modifications to the country’s educational plans, the reduction in the size of the State and support for the coastal sectors, which are the poorest in the country.

The government plan of Keys commitment to actions in economic matters to reduce procedures and facilitate business action, reduce social charges, demand results from public institutions, generate jobs and attract more investment, and lower the cost of the basic food basket through decrees.

Keys He has also promised to promote a single pension system, apply the tax reform approved during the current government, stronger sanctions against corruption and make social spending more efficient.

“Don’t give the keys to the same old people” has been one of the phrases most used by Keys during the campaign, with which he has asked the population to vote and which has served him to criticize the parties with the most experience in the country.

This candidate has also been characterized by his constant confrontation with the press, which he has pointed out as biased.

Although he has presented himself as “a staunch defender of press freedom” and has the well-known retired journalist Pilar Cisneros as spokesperson and elected deputy, Keys has launched epithets against the media such as “scoundrels”, “liars” and “laughing stock”.

the annoyance of Keys focuses on media reports about a private trust that would have financed his campaign expenses, which would be illegal.

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The financing of the candidate has been in the eye of the hurricane and a bank account of a former assistant of his has been added to the trust, through which $195,000 was moved for the campaign, according to a report by the newspaper La Nación

The legislation requires that campaign money be mobilized through the bank accounts of political parties.

The local press and also the United States media have reported on the complaints of sexual harassment that were filed against Keys by World Bank officials when he worked as an economist for that entity and for which internal sanctions were applied.

The candidate has insisted that the reported events never occurred and that it was all a “misunderstanding” on the part of his colleagues.

After his time at the World Bank, Keys He was Minister of Finance of Costa Rica between December 2019 and May 2020 in the current Government of President Carlos Alvarado.

Keys worked for more than 20 years in various positions at the World Bank as sector director for poverty reduction, public sector reform and economic management for Latin America and the Caribbean; as well as country director for Indonesia.

Source: Elcomercio

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