Salzburg Global Fellow elected Vice President of Costa Rica

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May 09, 2014
by Alex Jackson
Salzburg Global Fellow elected Vice President of Costa Rica

Ana Chac贸n takes office as the Vice President of Costa Rica this week, in the administration of Luis Guillermo Sol铆s

Ana Chac贸n (r) takes part in group work with other fellows from session 506, Salzburg Global's LGBT Forum.Ana Chac贸n, a Salzburg Global Fellow of the inaugural LGBT forum at Salzburg Global Seminar, has been elected as one of two Vice Presidents of Costa Rica, assuming her role in full yesterday, Thursday May 8. Chac贸n, a member of the Citizen鈥檚 Action Party (PAC), has, over the course of her prolific career, served as Vice Minister of Public Safety during the Pacheco administration (2002-2006) and later was elected to the position of deputy in the Legislative Assembly of Costa Rica from 2006 to 2010. Her politics and approach have been notably different from the more traditional policies of her contemporaries in Costa Rica, and Chac贸n is not afraid to ruffle feathers in the name of fair politics. She has a formidable reputation for tackling difficult issues on the national agenda, having worked with the block of deputies who were in favor of the Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA); expressing interest in favor of in vitro fertilization; the rights of children; and same sex marriage. Her tough stance on such issues may have often put her at odds with other party members, but made her an electoral favorite with the public. At Salzburg Global Seminar鈥檚 first Global LGBT Forum in June of last year, Chac贸n expressed her concern for the lack of support of the LGBT community in Costa Rica. Speaking to Salzburg Global, she explained: 鈥淚n Costa Rica, and in the whole region of Latin America, we still have a lot of violations in their [the LGBT community] lives, we still violate their dignity, we still violate their integrity. 鈥淲e would like to have a fairer world, a better world, a better society.鈥
The landmark election marks a change in political direction for Costa Rica, bringing about an end to nearly half a century of ruling by the country鈥檚 two main traditional parties, the National Liberation Party and the Social Christian Unity Party. The results of the election were announced on Friday April 25, when Chac贸n was officially presented with her credentials.


Chac贸n was a participant of session 506, LGBT and Human Rights: New Challenges, Next Steps. To read more from the session, click here.