by Rod Hughes

Former Ombudsman Jose Manuel Echandi, who was elected to the Legislative Assembly in 2006 on the back of a campaign stressing his integrity and transparency, has dumped his National Union Party. Echandi says that 300 million colones was contributed to the party’s executive committee but what became of it is unexplained.

Although he ran simultaneously for president in the last election, his party managed to send only Echandi to congress. Despite a lack of political support, he is respected throughout the country as “Mr. Clean” and will remain in his congressional seat as an independent.

Although Echandi, who comes from a politically active family with a former president in its history, declined to unite himself with another, more established, party, he said he would unite forces with congresswoman Evita Arguedas on sponsoring legislation next year. Arguedas resigned as a Libertarian earlier this year after a spat with her party and also became an independent.