Movimiento Libertario
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Partido Movimiento Libertario ("Libertarian Movement Party or PML") is a political party based on the philosophies of libertarianism and classical liberalism in Costa Rica.
It was founded in May 1994 and, since then, has enjoyed a number of victories. It succeeded in getting attorney Otto Guevara elected to the Legislative Assembly in its first campaign in 1998. In 2002, Guevara ran for president (unsuccessfully, 1.7% of the vote), and the party at the legislative elections won 9.3% of the popular vote and 6 out of 57 seats. A few weeks after taking office, one Congressman left the party and became independent, leaving PML with five seats. In 2006, Guevara again ran for president (unsuccessfully, 8.4% of the vote), and the party at the legislative elections won 9.1% of the popular vote and 6 out of 57 seats. The PML was an observer of the Liberal International or LI, and recently attained full status according to the LI website; so therefore it is also listed as a liberal party. Movimiento Libertario claims 81 people in public office nationwide.
Contents |
[edit] Purpose
According to their web site:
We represent hundreds of thousands of Costa Rican citizens from all walks of life, tired of politics, parties, traditional politicians, and the country's deteriorating situation. We want an orderly, modern nation where everyone has the opportunity to flourish in an environment of freedom, responsibility, and respect for the rights and dignity of all our citizens. For this, there is no doubt that we need to make serious decisions that only libertarians are willing to make with a firm hand that show wisdom, prudence, and intelligence in developing policies. It is not enough to complain. We must act and compete to win political power so that we can regain control over our lives and realize the promise of freedom. If not now, when? If not us, who? This is the purpose of the Libertarian Movement Party.
[edit] Policy Positions
-Break up of all of the state-owned monopolies and eliminate legal barriers on private economic activities
-Provide a low flat tax for the income produced within the country, eliminate many of the current taxes
-Free trade -- eliminate tariffs and barriers to the entry of goods
-Freedom to choose the currency that consenting individuals want
-Freedom to choose your own doctor within the social security system
-Strengthen individual pension accounts
-Freedom of parents to choose schools through vouchers
-Respect for private property
-Reduction of the participation of government in the economy
-Freedom of speech and press
-Respect for the sexual preferences of the people
-Respect for the religious beliefs (or lack thereof) of the people
-Defense of the right to own guns to defend private property and life
-Transfer of responsibility from central government to local governments
[edit] Congressional Representation
1. Luis Antonio Barrantes Castro
2. Carlos Gutiérrez Gómez
3. Mario Quiros Lara
4. Mario Nuñez Arias
5. Ovidio Agüero Acuña
[edit] 2010 Presidential and Congressional Elections
Movimiento Libertario anticipates fielding a full slate of candidates for congressional elections in February 2010. Otto Guevara will again be their presidential candidate. The party has invested heavily in developing infrastructure and capacity. They anticipate increasing both their vote totals and their congressional delegation as they have in the three previous election cycles.
[edit] Controversies
In 2005, a dispute erupted between pragmatists and radicals within the party that led to the ouster of the more radical members. Despite this setback, PML continued to track along a course of “pragmatic libertarianism” that seeks to bridge the gap between ideology and practical political realities.
[edit] External links
- Movimiento Libertario Official Site
- Otto Guevara 2010 Presidential Campaign Site (Under Construction)
- RELIAL Network of Latin America Libertarian/Classical Liberal Organizations
- Reason MagazineReason interviews Costa Rica's Libertarian revolutionary
|
||||||||
