American Expatriate Costa Rica

English-language news and information on Costa Rica

  • Home
  • Original Articles
  • News Reports
  • Book Reviews

US Secretary of State Called for Fair Elections and Reconsiders Travel Advisory

January 22, 2020 by Christopher Williams

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo met with the President of Costa Rica Carlos Alvarado on Tuesday as part of a tour of the region. In Costa Rica, Pompeo cited crime as the reason for issuing a cautionary travel advisory. Pompeo visited Colombia before Costa Rica, and the rise of dictatorships in both Venezuela and Nicaragua are a key agenda item for the tour.

President of Costa Rica Carlos Alvarado and U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo

President of Costa Rica Carlos Alvarado and U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo – Photo U.S. State Department

Cautionary Travel Advisory for Costa Rica

Saying the classification will have a direct, negative impact economic on the country, President Alvarado asked Pompeo to reconsider. Last year the prison population in Costa Rica reached it’s highest levels in national history, exceeding 16,000 inmates. However, the fiscal crisis has limited the number of judicial officers who investigate criminal complaints.

In May of 2019, the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration also degraded Costa Rica to category 2 for failure to comply with standards for civil aviation safety. Alvarado indicated that changes had been made, and asked Pompeo to push the FAA for an audit to reinstate Costa Rica to category 1.

Pompeo calls for fair elections in Venezuela and Nicaragua

Pompeo used the trip as an opportunity to speak out about the lack of democracy in Nicaragua and Venezuela. In Costa Rica, Pompeo met with Nicaraguan refugees who had fled the violent crackdown on the opposition in 2018. President Alvarado indicated that Costa Rica had received tens of thousands of Nicaraguans following the crisis and has asked the international community for assistance.

As the Nicaragua crisis has effects in neighboring Costa Rica, the departure of over 4 million Venezuelans from their country during the last 2 years has created challenges for Colombia. Venezuela dictator Nicolas Maduro won another term as President in 2018 after outlawing opposition political parties, and conducting a sham election.

There have been lots of conversations with Nicolas Maduro over these past months. There’s been no demonstration that he is prepared to permit free and open presidential elections,Pompeo said in Costa Rica.

In January of 2019, the President of the Venezuelan Legislature, Juan Guaidó declared himself interim president and insisted that the country have a legitimate presidential election.

“We’ve seen no evidence that Maduro is remotely interested in having free and fair elections. He knows that he would lose,” Pompeo said.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo arrived in Jamica on Tuesday, and will remain for 2 days. before returning to Washington D.C. with a stopover in Miami.

Related articles:

  1. United States calls for “fair” elections in Nicaragua
  2. OAS: “It will take time” to hold new elections in Venezuela
  3. The US will remove all its diplomats from Venezuela
  4. Nicaragua requests resignation of the OAS secretary general
  5. Will the US intervene in Venezuela?
  6. OAS Secretary Appoints Luis Guillermo Solis as Chief of Observers in Elections in Guatemala

Filed Under: Front Page, News Reports

Comments

  1. Ana C Seijas says

    January 22, 2020 at 11:28 am

    Hello! To set the record straight, Juan Guaidó did NOT declare himself Interim president of Venezuela.
    Under the Venezuelan Constitution, the leader of the National Assembly may serve as interim president if the Office of the President of the Republic becomes vacant, which it was the case due to Nicolas The National Assembly, now the country’s only constitutionally sanctioned parliamentary body, assumed powers granted to him by the constitution.

    Article 233 allows the Assembly president to act as the country’s interim president in cases where the executive office is abandoned, which happened when former President Nicolás Maduro declared himself the winner of the fraudulent election on May 20.

    The same fraudulent election made Guaidó and the Assembly invoke Article 333, which says the constitution remains valid even if it goes unobserved because of “acts by force.” Finally, Article 350 calls on the people to reject all actions that attempt to thwart democratic institutions or violate human rights.

SIGN UP FOR AMERICAN EXPATRIATE IN COSTA RICA

It's free, we respect your privacy and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Connect with Social Media

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • RSS
  • Twitter
Follow @expatcostarica

Search Articles and News Reports

Articles by Publication Date

March 2023
M T W T F S S
 12345
6789101112
13141516171819
20212223242526
2728293031  
« Apr    

News Summary

U.S. President Orders Navy Task Force to Caribbean to Counter Venezuela Threat

Costa Rica Government Silent on Travel Ban with Just 13 Days Left

News Summary

Legislators approve moratorium for registration of shareholders

President confirms gasoline give away for ethanol pilot project

Chinese company sells low cost smart phones in Costa Rica

Search continues for small plane missing in Drake

Farmers will march to the Ministry of Agriculture

IMN warns of dangerous UV radiation this Friday

Copyright © 2010 to 2023 · Link to Legal Notices and Privacy Policy