Costa Rica Elects Laura Chinchilla as Its First Female President

(Feb. 8) – Costa Rica elected Laura Chinchilla as its first female president today in a landslide victory, making her the fifth woman in Latin America to hold such a post.

Chinchilla, 50, a graduate of Georgetown University, gained 47 percent of the vote, far ahead of her rivals and above the 40 percent needed to avoid a runoff.

Laura Chinchilla, center, of the National Liberation Party

Esteban Felix, AP

Laura Chinchilla, center, described her presidential victory as "a moment of happiness, but above all of humility."

"Thank you, Costa Rica," Chinchilla said in an address at a hotel in the capital, San José, the London Times reported. "It's certainly a moment of happiness, but above all of humility. ... I won't betray that confidence."

Chinchilla, the mother of a teenage son, ended up 22 points ahead of her nearest rival, Otton Solis, who quickly conceded defeat, according to The Associated Press.

She served as vice president under the present head of state, Nobel Peace Prize laureate Oscar Arias, and is known as a social conservative who opposes gay rights and abortion.

Chinchilla will head what is regarded as one of the most stable countries in Latin America, which abolished its army in 1949 and is increasingly popular with tourists from the U.S. and other countries.

When she takes office May 8, she will follow in the footsteps of women who have been elected as leaders in Nicaragua, Panama, Chile and Argentina.

Latin America appears to lead a trend in women being elected to high office, including such prime ministers as Indira Gandhi in India, Golda Meir in Israel, Margaret Thatcher in the U.K., Helen Clark in New Zealand, Benazir Bhutto in Pakistan and Yulia Timoshenko in Ukraine.

Women elected presidents include Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and Corazon Aquino in the Philippines, Vaira Vike-Freiberga in Latvia and Mary Robinson in Ireland, who was succeeded in 1997 by the current president, Mary McAleese.