(Angus Reid Global Monitor) - A majority of Costa Rican adults want to enact a commerce deal with the United States, the Dominican Republic and other Central American nations, according to a poll by Unimer published in La Nación. 50.6 per cent of respondents would vote in favour of the Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA) in this Sunday’s referendum, while 44.7 per cent would vote against it.

In May 2004, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua agreed to the CAFTA with the U.S. The Dominican Republic followed suit in August. The agreement—which would reduce or eliminate taxes and tariffs on imports—must be approved by each country’s legislative branch. To date, Costa Rica remains the only country that has not ratified the CAFTA.

Óscar Arias—a member of the National Liberation Party (PLN)—won the February 2006 presidential election with 40.92 per cent of all cast ballots. He was sworn in as president for the second time in May 2006. Arias supports the CAFTA but promised to put its ratification to a nationwide vote. The plebiscite—which can only be binding if at least 40 per cent of all registered voters take part—is scheduled for Oct. 7.

On Oct. 1, Arias reiterated his vow to remove Costa Rica from the CAFTA if the plebiscite is not successful, adding, "If we do badly, we will talk with the other countries and we are out." Academic and "No" campaign leader Eugenio Trejos referred to an anti-CAFTA demonstration—which took place on Sept. 30—as "the largest political concentration in the history of the country."

Polling Data

How would you vote on the referendum to ratify the Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA)?
(Decided Voters)

Source: Unimer / La Nación
Methodology: Interviews with 1,069 Costa Rican adults, conducted from Sept. 21 to Sept. 26, 2007. Margin of error is 3.4 per cent.

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