THE HEMISPHERE
COSTA RICA
A conservative lawyer named Mario Echandi, 42, won the presidency of Costa Rica last week from the quarreling heirs of left-of-center President José ("Don Pepe") Figueres. A tall, balding, eloquent man, who has promised to bring private capital back into such state-dominated fields as banking, power production and housing, Echandi triumphed in an election notably free of bloodshed or ballot juggling. His National Union Party, backed by two former Presidents, polled 103,326 votes. Figueres' chosen successor, Francisco Orlich, a former Public Works Minister, drew 97,102 votes, and Jorge Rossi, a maverick from the Figuerista ranks, got 23,307.
Descendant of...
