QCOSTARICA — In celebration of International Women’s Day (IDW), a holiday celebrated annually on March 8 as a focal point in the women’s rights movement, the editorial team of La Republica, Costa Rica’s business newspaper, chose 5 of the influential women in Costa Rica politics for their leadership, ideas, and resilience.
The handful of women have shone with their own light on the political scene. These are figures from the opposition and the government, but also technical organizations that have historically been on the margins of public debate.
However, the truth of the matter is that circumstances have caused the women, with their leadership and decisions, to move the political needle and not go unnoticed.
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Marta Acosta
Marta Acosta, currently holding the office of the Comptroller General, was not on anyone’s radar as an important political figure until a few weeks ago, when her opposition against the Ciudad Gobierno (Government City) project and the placement of scanners against drug trafficking put her in the media’s lens unintentionally.
Acosta not only endured the political gale and the acid criticism of President Rodrigo Chaves, but she played on her own court and she came out well.
The Comptroller did not hold anything back and in an elegant but vehement manner, she made it clear that she would not allow herself to be intimidated by Chaves or anyone else in power at Zapote (Casa Presidencial), at the same time that she pointed out that the president is the origin of “multiple negative insinuations and constant disrespectful remarks.”
At the end of the day, Marta Acosta not only imposed her conditions for a public meeting to discuss the issues of dispute, which was recorded and broadcast live to prevent it from being taken out of context, according to Acosta, but she also did not move one iota from its initial position.
Gloria Navas
In the midst of a complicated citizen security panorama, due to drug trafficking and homicides, Gloria Navas, president of the Congressional Security and Drug Trafficking Commission, has been a beacon that has guided the discussion along the path of objectivity and rationality.
The weaver of agreements managed to sit together at the same table, to seek solutions, legislators, authorities of the Judicial Branch, and the government of Rodrigo Chaves.
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From the beginning, it was not an easy task, since Chaves’s heavy-handed approach did not convince the legislators, while the president demanded accountability from them and the Judiciary.
Several months later, and after a tripartite dialogue, 10 bills are currently making their way through the legislative process that would change Costa Rica’s war against drug trafficking.
Marta Esquivel
Upon reaching the middle period of the current government’s mandate, it is clear that one of the most controversial figures of this administration is Marta Esquivel, president of the Caja Costarricense del Seguro Social (CCSS or Caja), the Costa Rican Social Security Fund.
Esquivel is the object of an all-out war by various political parties, including the Partido Liberacion Nacional (PLN) and the Frente Amplio (FA), who demand her departure and point her out as the main enemy of social security.
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Her refusal to build the new Cartago hospital and the controversy that surrounded her for receiving an illegal salary for almost 20 months have placed Esquivel constantly in the media headlines.
To this, we must add her assertions about the alleged bankruptcy of the institution.
Despite everything, Esquivel enjoys the complete confidence of President Chaves, who ordered her to promote public-private alliances to reduce waiting lists, in addition to co-payment with hospitals.
Pilar Cisneros
Pilar Cisneros made a drastic turn in her career, leaving the desk in front of television news to her seat in Congress. As a representative of the Partido Progreso Social Democratico (PPSD), the ruling party is without a doubt one of the most relevant figures in Congress and the government.
Thanks to her communication skills and leadership, Cisneros became the political operator of the Executive Branch in the Legislative Assembly.
Likewise, as part of her management, she has had to be a “lightning rod” and deal with critical and vehement opposition from parties such as the Frente Amplio and the PLN.
Despite this, Cisneros has broad popular support outside of social networks.
Sofía Guillén
With work that combines political denunciation and research with data, legislator Sofía Guillén of the Frente Amplio stands out as a voice to listen to.
Regardless of whether you are a fan of the FA or not, the arguments that Guillén uses are intelligent and therefore provide a different perspective on the issues discussed in the Legislative Assembly.
The legislator, who is an economist by profession, has participated with great success in discussions such as the 4×3 work days, the reduction of the cost of the Marchamo, the complaint about the alleged dismantling and privatization of the CCSS, and various gender issues.
Guillén is also the faction leader of her party.
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