2023-04-29 14:00:00
After a year at the head of the Executive Branch, President Rodrigo Chaves still does not show signs of being clear about the course of his administration. The explanation of the governmental indefiniteness must be sought in the origins of his rise to the presidency.
Then it is necessary to turn to his unique way of holding office, which has produced confrontations with the other powers of the State and an unstable cabinet: about twenty departures and layoffs in a year.
The recent split in the government party is an example of how the original fractures between a cab party and one personalist presidency they produce internal contradictions that are reflected in governance.
In addition, the proximity of the municipal elections has stimulated divisions, since the president and his inner circle they consider their permanence on stage and lack the instrument to achieve it.
On the other hand, originating from a disorderly internal presidential campaign, the investigations into the financing of President Chaves’ campaigndeveloped by the Public Ministry, the Supreme Electoral Tribunal and the Legislative Assembly, embarrass important officials who could face criminal charges, which would affect government management.
The removal of Chaves from the country for more than three decades and the hasty and improvised selection of his cabinet have revealed the new government’s lack of knowledge of the structure of the State, which has led to the commission of repeated legal and political errors. such as the closure of Parque Viva or the appointment of the directors of the Costa Rican Social Security Fund.
The unprecedented elections last year produced an assembly fragmented into six party groups and a government with a small parliamentary minoritywhich has hindered, among other factors, the legislative action of the Executive, which Thought he could rule by decree.
Despite all this President Chaves has achieved maintain high popularity. The acceptance of his management derives from an intense presidential campaign where the candidate outsider managed to capitalize on discontent with the political class and He presented himself as the spokesman for the newpromising to eradicate all evils and rebuild the country.
The fracture of the party system, a third electoral defeat of the PLN and the disappearance of the PAC favor the high relief of a personality that does not stop lash messianically to all political organizations.
Chaves’ popularity has been maintained thanks to an aggressive communication campaign focused on the cult of personality and constant polarization that the president encourages with institutional and factual actors.
The most recent of the surveys (CIEP-UCR), however, indicates an erosion of support for President Chaves, since support is now around 60% after figures close to 80%.
The government’s legislative achievements have been scant, as might be expected given its legislative minority. Here they highlight the approval of eurobonds and the maintenance of the agreement with the IMF, although it insists on maintaining the fiscal rule, despite the positive evolution of public debt. In the area of positives, it is also necessary to point out improvements in the country risk rating.
However, the sale of BCR, BICSA and INS shares were resoundingly shipwrecked in the legislative stream.
The slowdown in inflation it has been marked as a great achievement; but, as has been shown by economists, the cost of living for popular sectors has increased.
The economic reactivation is parked, the free zone regime has grown, but the definitive regime is stagnant.
Public finances experienced an improvement last year, caused by the tax reformy tourism reaches levels prior to the outbreak of the pandemic, aspects that are linked to other factors and not so much to the management of the Executive. However, colon appreciation it threatens the income of exporters and the tourism sectors.
The administrative action has shown repeated slips, from the controversy surrounding the National Vaccination Commission until recent episode of police protestswhere the president confessed ignorance of the real situation of the uniformed.
The rice route has not achieved a reduction in the price of grain, the path of education has not gone beyond a brief power point presentation and thecitizen insecurity continues to grow in the absence of a consistently designed and executed public policy. The security minister confesses that he will only have a strategy in November, eighteen months after taking office.
To a large extent, the government’s trajectory, during this first year, has been marked by confrontation. The belief that polarization manages to tie the electoral base directs government communication efforts, which leads the president to seek confrontation with a large number of actors, minimizing the search for understanding.
The cult of anger has led him to clashes with the Judiciary, the Legislative Assembly, the Comptroller General and the media. The descriptions of “rogue press” and “filibusters” for the media and legislators are a sample of the incendiary rhetoric of the Zapote tenant, which does not facilitate negotiations but rather political paralysis. Focusing government discourse on hormones has not facilitated democratic conversation and deliberation.
Improvisation and the lack of equipment have been reflected in the management of foreign relations, where the government has not yet appointed sixteen ambassadors and has not managed to articulate a defined position against the Ortega regime. The scarce development of the democratic alliance with Panama and the Dominican Republic has shown the poor dynamism of the new minister.
The absence of vision and road map characterize this year of government. People are still hopeful, but the government quagmire could hasten the erosion of his popularity. Even more so if the president continues with his taste for conflict and improvising (as in matters of public security). A year has gone by without significant results. To govern is not to blow up, to govern is to talk and reach agreements. Costa Rica cannot afford another lost year.
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