Ottón Solís
Ottón Solís | |
---|---|
Congressman Legislative Assembly of Costa Rica | |
In office 1 May 2014 – 1 May 2018 | |
In office 1 May 1994 – 1 May 1998 | |
Minister of National Planning and Economic Policy | |
In office 1986–1988 | |
President | Óscar Arias |
Personal details | |
Born | Costa Rica | 31 May 1954
Citizenship | Costa Rica |
Political party | Citizens' Action Party |
Other political affiliations | Formerly National Liberation Party |
Alma mater | University of Manchester |
Ottón Solís Fallas (born 31 May 1954 near Pérez Zeledón) is a Costa Rican politician. He graduated with a Bachelor of Economics from the University of Costa Rica in 1976 and gained a master's degree in economics from the University of Manchester in 1978. He is currently serving his second term as congressman, was a founding member of the Citizens' Action Party (PAC for its Spanish initials), and ran as its three-time presidential candidate.[1] As an academic, he has taught at several universities in the United States and Costa Rica.[2]
Early political career
Solís was the National Economics Minister during the
Founding the Citizens' Action Party
In 2000, Solís, along with several other prominent PLN members, left the party to found PAC. They claimed that PLN's neoliberalism and corruption were reasons to break with the party.[4] Solís was the first president of PAC and a three time presidential candidate. Since then, Solís has insisted that PAC exists for the sole purpose of fiscal and economic reform.[3]
In 2006, Solís led PAC against the
In addition to opposing corruption and neoliberalism, one of the founding aims of PAC was to create a more open party system. The party's primaries are open.[5] The party survived several internal ideological battles, adding prominent former Social Christian Unity Party (PUSC for its Spanish initials) members during the 2010 presidential campaign.[5] For his part, Solís said he welcomed a changing ideology and new members.[5]
Presidential campaigns
In the 2002 Costa Rican presidential elections broke the prevailing bipartisan political model with 26% of the popular vote to occupy a strong third place in the Presidential race, behind PLN and PUSC.[4]
A virtual tie between former President
Temporary leave from politics
On 8 February 2011 Solís announced that he was abandoning politics for good, expressing his desire to create spaces for a new emerging leaders with his party.[6] Solis stated that he was not planning to become again the PAC's presidential candidate. This decision reflected, in his opinion, the commitment of his party to remain fresh.[6]
Solís returned to politics two years later after serving as an Eminent Scholar at the University of Florida and in several other academic posts.[2] Nevertheless, Solís ran with PAC and won a seat for deputy in 2014.[1]
Political and economic philosophy
Anti-neoliberalism
Solís asserts that his party- PAC- is not guided by any ideology. In an interview he stated that "We, at PAC, have not been interested in adopting an ideology. There are proposals that can be considered as coming from the center-right, such as the efficiency of the state, sound fiscal and monetary policies, the conviction that work is what takes to get people out of poverty. But there are other views that can be perceived as socialist, such as our conviction that access to such things as health, education, electricity, telecommunications, culture, technology, and sport, cannot be left to the market forces; universal access criteria must prevail in those cases." How you can call that? I don't know, but if God commands to say something then I'd say that our ideology is human rights and citizens' action."
Solís has outspokenly criticized neoliberalism in Latin America that he associates with the policies advocated by the Washington Consensus, which in his view are wrong, and have led Latin America countries towards the wrong path.[citation needed]
Anti-CAFTA stance
Solís is a critic of the
References
- ^ a b Ramón, Gerardo Ruiz (25 March 2014). "Ottón Solís se 'alinea' y defiende propuestas fiscales de Luis Guillermo Solís". La Nacion (in Spanish). San Jose, Costa Rica. Retrieved 27 March 2014.
- ^ a b "Prominent politician joins UGA Costa Rica 2013 Summer Faculty". University of Georgia School of Public and International Affairs Press Release. 2013. Archived from the original on 27 December 2013. Retrieved 27 March 2014.
- ^ a b Ruiz R., Gerardo (8 February 2014). "Ottón Solís: 'El tema fiscal es urgente, pero respeto la decisión del candidato'". La Nacion (in Spanish). San Jose. Retrieved 27 March 2014.
- ^ a b c d e "Costa Rica, Sistema de Partidos" (in Spanish). Latinoamerica Libre. January 2012. Retrieved 28 March 2014.
- ^ a b c González, César (28 May 2012). "Líderes del PAC discrepan sobre situación del partido". Costa Rica Hoy. Retrieved 28 March 2014.
- ^ a b Mayorga, Gabriela (8 February 2008). "Ottón Solís descarta volver a aspirar a la presidencia". La Nacion (in Spanish). San Jose, Costa Rica. Retrieved 27 March 2014.
- ^ Vaughan, Martin (9 June 2005). "Arias Says Region Might Lose Benefits Without CAFTA". CongressDaily AM. pp. 15–16.
- ^ James C. McKinley Jr. (21 August 2005). "U.S. Trade Pact Divides the Central Americans, With Farmers and Others Fearful". The New York Times.
- ^ Abrams, Jim (10 June 2005). "Administration moves to ease objections to trade agreement". Associated Press.
External links
- (in Spanish) PAC Official Website
- Solis Statement on CAFTA