Sunday, February 7th, Laura Chinchilla became the first female president of Costa Rica. Chinchilla received 47 percent of the vote, which, the New York Times reports, was “around double the scores of her two closest rivals, who quickly conceded defeat.”
Her election is a part of a new wave in Latin America; women are being elected to top governmental positions in a part of the world that is, for the most part, male-dominated.
Both Chile and Argentina have had female presidents in the past four years, and there is a strong chance that a woman, Dilma Rousseff, will be the next president of Brazil.
Chinchilla is a center-leftist and ran on the National Liberation Party ticket. The New York Times reports that Chinchilla is “a social conservative who opposes gay marriage and abortion but is also seen as a flagbearer for women in her country.”
While Chinchilla is seen as a beacon for women in her country, and while she, according to the Miami Herald, “promotes gender issues, promises to create a national daycare system and create new opportunities for women…she is no feminist.”
Her mentor is former Costa Rican president and Nobel Peace Prize winner Oscar Arias. Chinchilla has acknowledged that she plans on continuing many of his policies, including the expansion of free trade agreements.  Since she follows Arias’ policies closely, her opponents have accused her of simply being a continuation of Arias’ presidency.
Chinchilla says on her website that she wants “safety, security, and prosperity” for Costa Rica. She plans to focus on raising Costa Rica’s standard of living by investing in health care, education, and public transportation.  She also wants Costa Rica to be a leader in Latin America for environmental responsibility and sustainability.

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