PAC agrees to Agenda de Implementacion, suggests Agenda de Mitigacion

The Partido de Acción Ciudadana, the PAC, has now officially agreed to cooperate in the passing of the Agenda de la Implementación, stressing that the party still disagrees with the treaty, but that they are not an obstructionist party and will allow the Agenda to be passed by March (the deadline for joining the CAFTA). Elisabeth Fonseca, leader of the parliamentary fraction, apparently announced the separation of the PAC from the movement against the TLC since this alliance has “completed its mission.” (see La Nación, Oct.10) I write “apparently” because some PAC members deny that she said that. At the same time she said that the PAC would of course continue to participate in the meetings of the NO camp, as they represent a “great citizen effort”. The same ambiguity and contradiction is visible in Otton Solís’behavior, who has was quoted on Tuesday as saying that the PAC will agree to the Agenda, but not one step more than what the CAFTA requires. Recall that the Agenda is the package of 13 legal changes that are required to allow the CAFTA to take effect. Among them are the opening of the state-monopoly of the telecom and insurance sector, changes to corporate laws, and changes in intellectual property rights. According to a listserv of the NO camp, Solís then promised not to allow the Agenda to go through in front of various representatives of the Patriotic Comités on Wednesday night. Today, he presented a letter to president Arias in which he outlines an Agenda de Mitigación, which is supposed to protect against some of the worst effects of the CAFTA. Among the 18 projects suggested by Solis are 2% higher education spending, an end of tax breaks for large corporations, the creation of a development bank, subsidies for small and medium agricultural producers, and the de-politicization of the appointment process for the leadership of the semi-public, or state-owned institutions.

Meanwhile, the TSE (Supreme Electoral Tribunal) continues with the hand-count of all the ballots, which has to be finished by October 22. You can watch them counting on the TSE website (see links). This is standard procedure. The movement of the NO is engaged in a heated discussion over whether or not to accept the results, what to make of the PAC position, and what position to take regarding the coming legislative battle over the Agenda de Implementación. José Merino from the Frente Amplio, and Oscar López from the Partido de Accessibilidad Sin Exclusión are the only two legislators who have vowed to fight the Agenda de Implementación.