Costa Rica's election

Election was held on 7 February 2010 for Costa Rica's president and unicameral Legislative Assembly. The president is directly elected by universal adult suffrage for a four-year term. The Legislative Assembly (Asamblea Legislativa), has 57 members, directly elected for a four-year term.

Laura Chinchilla of the National Liberation Party (PLN) won the presidential election, securing 47% of the vote in the first round (thereby exceeding the 40% limit required to avoid a run-off). SHe is scheduled to take office as Costa Rica's first woman president on 8 May 2010.

The results of the Legislative Assembly elections were

National Liberation Party (PLN) ……………… 23 seats

Citizens' Action Party (PAC) ……………… 11 seats

Libertarian Movement (ML) ……………… 10 seats

Social Christian Unity Party (PUSC) ……………… 6 seats

Accessibility Without Exclusion Party (PASE) ……………… 4 seats

Broad Front Party (FA) ……………… 1 seat

Costa Rican Renovation Party (PRC) ……………… 1 seat

National Restoration Party (PRN) ……………… 1 seat

New ANGOLAN cabinet

Following the promulgation of a new constitution on 5 February 2010, a new cabinet was sworn in. Outgoing Prime Minister Fernando da Piedade Dias dos Santos took the new post of Vice President.

Cabinet

   José Eduardo dos Santos   President

*   Fernando da Piedade Dias dos Santos (Nando)   Vice President

*   Carlos Maria da Silva Feijo   Civilian Chief of Staff

*   Manuel Helder Vieira Dias Jr.   Military Chief of Staff

†   Manuel Nunes Jr.   Economic Co-ordination

   Assuncao Afonso dos Anjos   Foreign Affairs

*   Candido Pereira dos Santos Van-Dunem   National Defence

    Gen. Roberto Leal Monteiro   Interior

*   Norberto Fernando dos Santos   Parliamentary Affairs

*   Bornito de Sousa Baltazar Diogo   Territorial Administration

    Guilhermina Contreiras da Costa Prata (f) ……………… Justice

    Antonio Domingos da Costa Pitra Neto   Public Administration, Employment and Social Welfare

*   Carolina Cerqueira (f) ……………… Social Communication (Information)

    Gonçalves Manuel Muandumba   Youth and Sports

    Ana Afonso Dias Lourenco (f) ……………… Planning

*   Carlos Alberto Lopes   Finance

†   Maria Idalina de Oliveira Valente (f) ……………… Commerce and Tourism

    Afonso Pedro Canga   Agriculture and Rural Development

†   Joaquim Duarte da Costa David   Geology, Mines and Industry

    José Maria Botelho de Vasconcelos   Oil

    Maria de Fatima Monteiro Jardim (f) ……………… Environment

    José dos Santos da Silva Ferreira   Urban Affairs and Housing

    Augusto da Silva Tomas   Transport

    José Carvalho da Rocha   Telecommunications and Information Technology

†   Emanuela Afonso Vieira Lopes (f) ……………… Energy and Water Resources

    José Vieira Dias Van-Dunem   Health

*   M 'Pinda Simao   Education

†   Maria de Candida Pereira Teixeira (f) ……………… Higher Education; Science and Technology

    Rosa Maria Martins da Cruz e Silva (f) ……………… Culture

    Joao Baptista Kussumua   Social Assistance and Reintegration

    Genoveva da Conceicao Lino (f) ……………… Family and Women's Advancement

*   Kundi Paihama   Ex-servicemen and War Veterans

†   Antonio Bento Bembe   Secretary of State for Human Rights



* = new
† = changed portfolio

For full and up to date government listings go to People in Power.

Biography of new Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou

The third generation of Greece’s grand dynasty of socialist prime ministers, George Papandreou is more reserved than his father Andreas and grandfather George. Rising through the hierarchy of the Panhellenic Socialist Movement (PASOK), he has been a member of parliament since 1981 and has held ministerial posts in education, culture and foreign affairs, notably co-ordinating Athens’ bids to host the 1996 and 2004 Olympic Games (successful on the second attempt), and improving diplomatic relations with Greece’s neighbours. He led PASOK from 2003, losing two elections before winning a large majority at the 5 October 2009 poll. He took office as prime minister the following day, pledging to rebuild the economy and clean up government.

George Papandreou was born on 16 June 1952 in St Paul, Minnesota, USA. His father Andreas Papandreou, exiled from Greece in 1939, had come to the USA to study, and there met his first wife Margaret Chant. George attended schools in Greece, the USA, Sweden and Canada. He was 11 when his grandfather George became prime minister of Greece (for the second time), this tenure lasting only a couple of months; a third appointment in 1964 lasted just over a year, but led to a series of crises that climaxed with the 1967 coup, which ushered in the repressive “colonels’ regime”. By the time Greece returned to civilian rule in 1974, the young George was enjoying his undergraduate years, spent mostly at Amherst College, Massachusetts, but also at Stockholm University. He graduated in sociology a year later, and then gained a master’s degree in sociology and development from the London School of Economics.

Returning now to Greece, George joined the party that his father Andreas had founded in 1974. He served on various party committees, and won a seat in Parliament in 1981, at the election that resulted in a PASOK majority and his father becoming prime minister. George chaired the parliamentary committee on education until 1985, and then joined the ministry of culture, responsible for diaspora affairs and adult education. After a brief stint as vice-chair of the parliamentary committee for free radio in 1987, he was appointed minister of education and religious affairs, and co-ordinated Athens’ unsuccessful bid to host the 1996 Olympic Games. PASOK lost power from 1989 (the same year that his parents divorced) and, in opposition, Papandreou became chair of the parliamentary committee for culture and education. In 1992 he secured a fellowship post at Harvard University’s Center for International Affairs.

Back in Greece the following year he joined the new PASOK government as deputy minister for foreign affairs, responsible for relations with the USA and, during Greece’s presidency of the European Union (EU), was part of the negotiating team on the accession of Sweden, Finland, Austria and Norway. In 1994 he was reappointed minister for education and culture. The following year his elderly father suffered kidney failure, and in January 1996 stepped down as prime minister; he died the following June.

Elected as one of Athens’ parliamentarians in 1996, George was again put in charge of the city’s bid to host the Olympics, for 2004 – this time it was successful. He was also appointed alternate minister of foreign affairs, rising to full minister in 1999. In 2000 the East-West Institute awarded Papandreou and his Turkish counterpart Ismail Cem their Statesman of the Year award in recognition of their efforts to improve Greco–Turkish relations. He also improved ties with neighbouring Albania and Bulgaria, and was involved in efforts to reunite Cyprus ahead of its accession to the EU in 2004.

PASOK’s ratings were low ahead of the 2004 election, and the popular Papandreou was handed the party’s reins in an attempt to attract back voters disillusioned by corruption scandals, the state of the economy and the behind-schedule preparations for the Olympics coming up that summer. PASOK still lost to Costas Karamanlis’s New Democracy and, finding himself in opposition, Papandreou pledged to clean up and rebuild the party. Lacking the flamboyant leadership skills of his forebears, however, he managed to please neither the reformists nor the left-wing faction of the party. PASOK performed even worse at the September 2007 poll, but Papandreou fought off a challenge for the party leadership later in the year.

At the 2009 election the party capitalized on the poor state of the economy and corruption scandals embroiling ND politicians to secure a comfortable majority. Papandreou took office as prime minister on 6 October.

George Papandreou is married to Ada, with a son and a daughter. He speaks Greek, English and Swedish.