QCOSTARICA — Luis Amador, former Minister of Public Works and Transportation (MOPT), is expected to run for president in the upcoming presidential elections and hinted that he will run under the banner of the Partido Progreso Social Democrático (PPSD).
This is the same group that propelled Rodrigo Chaves to the presidency in 2022, only to be rejected by Chaves.
In an interview with La Reacción, Amador confirmed that he has held talks with the party on key issues on the national agenda, such as infrastructure and security, avoiding directly mentioning the PPSD. However, his gestures and words sent a clear message.
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“Haven’t you noticed I’m wearing a new tie? Do you like the colors I’m wearing today?” Amador said when asked about his electoral party.
Amador clarified that there is still no official ratification of his candidacy, as it must be approved at a national party assembly.
“We have agreed that we will not reveal names until the proposal is presented to the national assembly in black and white,” he explained.
Amador’s announcement comes just over a year after his departure from the MOPT, amid a controversy that marked his administration.
On March 12, 2024, President Rodrigo Chaves dismissed him, holding him politically responsible for the irregular awarding of a multi-million-dollar contract to the MECO Construction Company, where the bidding process, for ¢21.8 billion colones, reportedly included requirements that only that company could meet, generating a ¢1 billion colones cost overrun for the State in the repair of the Guanacaste airport runway.
In the interview, the former Minister of the Chaves administration reaffirmed his interest in promoting major transformations in the country, but with a style and attitude very different from those of his former boss, President Rodrigo Chaves.
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Amador even seemed uninhibited in discussing aspects of his relationship with the president and more inclined to lead a political party that can bring together honest Costa Ricans with excellent credentials, who have even offered their support from outside the country.
On at least six occasions during the interview, Amador referred to President Rodrigo Chaves’s leadership style, highlighting serious disagreements with him.
For example, he emphasized the surprise call through which the President informed him of his dismissal while he was attending an event in Canada. He points out that at the time he did not ask the president for explanations (Why?, he claims), but indicates that Chaves had been upset for days about the handling of the bidding process to repair the runway at the Guanacaste airport. He also said he was aware of messages from the president stating that “Luis Amador was going too far.”
During the interview, Amador was asked about the president’s potential jealousy over his growing popularity. However, the former minister does not guarantee that this occurred, although he acknowledged that at some point he spoke with the President, informally, about a potential presidential candidacy. But he emphatically clarifies that his focus has always been on working for the good of Costa Rica.
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Another turning point came after the meeting with Comptroller Marta Acosta (on February 1, 2024), as Chaves insisted on following the procedures his way regarding the Public Works Concession, while Amador favored adopting Acosta’s recommendations without further delay.
Consensus, not confrontation. Amador closed the interview emphasizing that many individuals and groups desire a profound transformation for Costa Rica and that it is possible, not through confrontation, but rather through the search for consensus, the union of efforts, and wills.
Finally, he reaffirmed that his practice in the coming months will be to open channels of communication to make his ideas and proposals known, enabling rapprochement with the public. In that sense, if this process were to prove successful, he would have greater grounds to confirm his presidential candidacy.
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