A.M. Costa Rica: Third newspage

A.M. Costa Rica third newspage
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San José, Costa Rica, Thursday, July 3, 2008, Vol. 8, No. 131

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Ex-presidential candidate Rolando Araya leaves Liberación

By the A.M. Costa Rica staff

In a strongly worded public letter politician Rolando Araya Monge, the brother of the current mayor of San José and former presidential candidate, left the Partido Liberación Nacional. He accused President Óscar Arias Sánchez of destroying the original socialist values of the party and buying votes for the free trade agreement with the United States.

The letter was addressed to Luis Ayala in Greece, the secretary general of Socialist International, a worldwide group of socialist political parties.

Rolando Araya, who was the president of Socialist International or Internacional Socialista for Latin America and the Caribbean, renounced his position, since he will no longer be affiliated with a political party, he said.

Rolando Araya wrote that he was proud of the Partido Liberación Nacional's early achievements, but now he is disillusioned.

Araya has not yet said if he will join another political party. Araya, the Liberación presidential candidate in 2002, publicly denounced the free trade treaty. His brother, on the other hand, Johnny Araya Monge, mayor of San José, continues to be a member of the Partido.

Liberación Nacional and many see him as a future candidate for president.

Other possible candidates for the Partido Liberación Nacional include Fernando Berrocal Soto, former minister of security, Vice President Laura Chinchilla Miranda, and Rodrigo Arías Sánchez, brother of the President and minister of the presidency.

Rolando Araya, former mayor of San José in 1979, wrote that President Arias had basically ruined the entire party and hurt the people of Costa Rica.

“The people of Costa Rica, virtually defenseless, were faced with the most colossal and most powerful machinery ever seen to impose TLC with the United States. Indeed, the government succeeded in combining the Legislature, the Judiciary, the Tribunal Supremo de Elecciones, the business chambers, the most powerful medias of press, radio and television, transnational corporations and even the White House.” TLC is the Spanish acronym for the free trade treaty.

The letter was greeted with praise from Mariano Figueres Olsen, who left the party in 2005. He is the son of former president José Figueres Ferrer, who helped found the party. The support is found on the Frente Social Demócrata Web site.

Phone company says it will reward those who pay their bills on time

By the A.M. Costa Rica staff

The phone company will hand out prizes for the next three months in order to encourage customers to pay their bills on time, said a spokesperson for the company.

The contest which began Monday will run until Oct. 1, said the spokesperson for Instituto Costarricense de Electricidad.

Prizes include a vehicle, cards from Servibanca and

Periclub, cell phones and MP4 music players, said the spokesperson.

Customers who wish to participate must pay their phone bill on time. They will then receive monthly e-mails with a ticket number. There will be three drawings for the months of August, September and October. The final drawing will be held on T.V., said the spokesperson. Customers can register and get more information at the www.grupoice.com Web site.