Sixty years after the women exercised their right to vote for the first time, the Presidency of the Republic of Costa Rica will be a woman – Laura Chinchilla – who dreams of a greener, more prosperous and more caring country.

Born to a middle class family in a humble neighborhood en Desamparados, Laura first attended the República del Perú school. At age 18 she travelled through Central America and quickly understood the privilege of having been born in a country without an army.









She studied political science at the University of Costa Rica and later obtained a Masters degree in Public Policy from the University of Georgetown in the USA.




Laura aged 51 is the daughter of Rafael Ángel Chinchilla and Emilce Miranda, she is married to José María Rico aged 76 with whom she has a 13 year old son, her two passions in life are her family and her work.









From early on, she excelled in the international field specializing in public safety, crime prevention and judicial reform, with institutions like the United Nations, the Inter-American Development Bank and foundations that promote peace and human development.




She has been keynote speaker at various international forums, has published four books and numerous articles.




She has led projects in different Latin American countries, in the Caribbean and Africa and this experience has shown her the strong value of Costa Rica’s democracy and the challenges she faces to ensure an adequate quality of life for its inhabitants.







Laura has devoted much of her professional life to public service in Costa Rica where she has accumulated vast experience in public affairs. She was the first Minister of Public Security in the country’s history.




From this position she tried to create a more professional police force, she encouraged more women to join, created the Community Safety Program, helped with some of the largest drug seizures in the country and successfully cut back on the number of vehicles stolen. Because of this she was recognized as the most effective Minister in the cabinet by the national press.







As Congresswoman, she chaired various committees from which several laws were promoted which have had a significant on the level of efficiency within the public sector, public safety, crimes against children, domestic violence and fighting corruption.




From May 2006 until October 2008, Laura Chinchilla served as First Vice-President of the government of Oscar Arias and as Minister of Justice. During this time, she worked with the preparation and presentation to the Assembly of the law for the Integral Strengthening of Public Safety and the law against Organized Crime plus the adoption of a law to protect women against violence.




Laura has also worked with the National Center for the Treatment of Addiction, she has promoted the “digital government”, telecommuting and the technological modernization of the National Register




On Saturday 8th May 2010 Laura Chinchilla will becomes the first female President in the history of Costa Rica.




We wish you all the best Laura! The ceremony may be finished at the end of the day but your work has just begun.




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Written by Scott Oliver, author of 1. Costa Rica Real Estate Scams & How To Avoid Them, 2. How To Buy Costa Rica Real Estate Without Losing Your Camisa, 3. Costa Rica’s Guide To Making Money Offshore and the Director/Producer of the Costa Rica Living & Retirement – Secrets To Happiness DVDs.

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