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Costa Rica elects first female president

09 February 2010 03:17 (UTC +04:00)

Baku â€“ APA. Mrs Chinchilla will become the first woman to lead her country after securing a clear victory in the presidential election, APA reports quoting telegraph.co.uk web-page.
"Thank you, Costa Rica!" said Mrs Chinchilla, the candidate of the ruling National Liberation Party, addressing thousands of supporters after her top rival conceded defeat.
"This is a moment for joy, but above all, also a moment for humility," the president-elect continued.
"I will not betray your confidence because it is clear that it has not been given to me as a gift."
Mrs Chinchilla, the protÃ©gÃ© of Nobel peace laureate President Oscar Arias, is set to take office on May 8.
The 50-year-old career politician was born into a political family and served as public safety minister, congressional deputy and most recently as vice president and justice minister in outgoing President Ariasâ€™s cabinet.
Married with a teenage son, Mrs Chinchilla is a social conservative â€“ opposing gay marriage, abortion and any change to Roman Catholicismâ€™s position as the state religion.
Costa Ricaâ€™s development strategy in recent years has centred around boosting tourism and exports, mainly fruit and high-quality coffee, but increasingly also manufactured goods such as microchips, through free-trade pacts.
"These are priority issues for us," Chinchilla said.
"The greatest challenge we face in the coming years is to take the absolute most of these trade treaties."