Oscar Arias Sanchez

Oscar Arias Sanchez is the current President of Costa Rica. He first assumed office on May 8, 2006 and is currently serving his second term.

His first term ran from May 8, 1986 and served until May 8, 1990.

The holder of honorary degrees of 50 universities his formal education included time spend studying in the US and UK.

Arias joined the National Liberation Party (PLN), Costa Rica's main social democratic party and in 1986 he ran successfully for president on that party's ticket. The Costa Rican constitution had been amended to include a clause which forbade former presidents seeking reelection. Arias challenged this in the Constitutional Court, which initially rejected his application in September 2000. Arias then used his considerable political connections and, with a majority of members favorable to his cause, succeeded at the second attempt -- April 2003 -- to have the constitution changed. After this change, Arias had paved the way for his second presidency and became the President of Costa Rica in 2006.

President Arias is best known as one of the driving figures bringing peace to the civil war in Nicaragua in the 1980s. For his efforts, Oscar Arias Sanchez received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1987.

In his Nobel Peace Prize Acceptance Speech, he said “Peace is not a matter of prizes or of trophies. It is not the product of a victory, nor of a command. It has no borders, no time limits, nothing fixed in the definition of its achievements."

Being showered with fame and praise did not slow down his efforts to promote peace. If anything, it encouraged him to expand his attention from the recovering region of Central America to the entire world. He is actively involved with peace-promoting organizations around the world. He formed the Arias Foundation for Peace and Human Progress. Its goals include the demilitarization of places like Panama and Haiti and the creation of a global de-militarization fund. He strives to get the people of the world to understand security as something not based on the size of your army but on education, jobs, and health.

When asked "If you had one thing that you could say to all the young people of the world, what would it be?"

His inspiring answer is "I think the most important thing for the future generations is to understand that it is necessary to have ideals, to dream, to live a life of principles. It is necessary to understand that the brotherhood is more important than the self. It is necessary to comprehend that the problems of a neighbor in some way affect us, too."

This is the story of Oscar Arias, a man whose actions mirror his words.

Costa Rica - recent history

Throughout the 20th century, Costa Rica has enjoyed peace and a steady growth in prosperity, with the notable exception of a civil war in 1948 which followed a disputed presidential election.

The Costa Rica Civil War was the bloodiest event in 20th century Costa Rica history. It lasted for 44 days (from March 12 to April 24, 1948), during which approximately 2,000 people are believed to have died. The conflict was precipitated by the vote of the Costa Rican Legislature, dominated by pro-government representatives, to annul the results of the presidential election of 1948, alleging that the triumph of opposition candidate Otilio Ulate had been achieved by fraud. This caused a rebel army under commander Jose Figueres to rise up against the government of President Teodoro Picado, which it quickly defeated.

After the war, Figueres ruled for a year and a half as head of a provisional government junta which abolished the military and oversaw the election of the Assembly that produced the new Costa Rica Constitution of 1949. The constitution finally gave women and blacks the vote and, controversially, dismantled the country's armed forces - giving Costa Rica the sobriquet of 'the only country which doesn't have an army. The junta then stepped down and handed power to Ulate. Costa Rica has not experienced any political violence since then. Jose Figueres proved to be one of Costa Rica's most influential leaders of all time, instituting ground breaking social and economic progress.

Costa Rica continued its progressive social policies through the three decades after 1948 and enjoyed a gradual upward economic trend. The basic policy of the government in the decades after the 1970's was to become more independent agriculturally, but this actually caused a heavy dependence on imported goods needed for farming. Other problems were the continuing drop in the prices of coffee, bananas, and sugar. Costa Rica had also taken out loans to improve its infrastructure and when these loans came due, Costa Rica could not pay and soon its economy was in shambles. Magnifying the country's problems was the instability of Nicaragua and Panama, which did nothing else but hurt Costa Rica. The reputation of Central America as a place of violence and poverty stopped much potential investment. Also, Costa Rica's status as one of the wealthiest third world countries brought a flood of immigrants from its two neighboring countries, taking jobs and money out of the country.

In recent times, one of the most prominent political figures has been Oscar Arias Sanchez of the Partido de Liberacion Nacional (PLN) who was elected president in February 1986.In 1987, Oscar Arias Sanchez received the Nobel Peace Prize for his work to break the cycle of civil war in the other Central American countries and foment the stability that continues. Currently Costa Rica enjoys a reputation as one of the most peaceful, prosperous, and least corrupt countries in Latin America.

In February 1998 the Social Christian Unity Party's Miguel Angel Rodríguez won the presidency with almost exactly 50% of the vote. A conservative businessman who made the economy his priority, he went on to privatise state companies and encourage foreign investments in an effort to create jobs. By the time the February 2002 elections rolled around, however, Ticos (a term locals use to refer to themselves) were mumbling about a lack of government transparency and shady deals between political mates. These grass-roots misgivings resulted in a 'no win' election, and pollsters returned to the ballot box in April 2002. Rodríguez's successor, Abel Pacheco of the conservative Social Christian Unity Party, was elected to step up to the president's ring. Pacheco began his term promising to eliminate the public debt within four years. He launched a conservationist platform banning new oil drilling and mining and proposed legislation guaranteeing citizens the right to a healthy environment. It didn't take long before the sheen paled. A campaign finance scandal clouded his presidency, leading some opponents to demand his resignation, and it became unclear if he could weather this storm through to the end of his term in 2006.

Oscar Arias Sanchez was relected president for a second time, by a narrow margin, in 2006.

Costa Rica will return to the polls in 2010

Costa Rica still has a large agricultural sector including coffee, banana, pineapple and sugar exports. In the last twenty years, eco-tourism and technology have taken off and become top-earning industries in the country. Costa Ricans enjoy a high standard of living, and land ownership is widespread. The country boasts a high literacy rate, a large middle class and a stable government that has functioned without an army for more than 50 years.