Costa Rican President Oscar Arias was inaugurated today. Uri Ridelman writes that he believes Costa Rica to be “one of the few countries in the world where a president can still walk to his swearing in ceremony with nothing but a personal escort beside him.” Commenting on the small margin of votes that separated Arias from his main opponent, Ottón Solís, American expat Erin R. draws a comparison to the most recent US elections: “Almost half of all Costa Ricans wanted a president other than Arias, and I think Americans understand this feeling all too well.” Meanwhile, Roberto Gallardo thinks the Legislative Assembly is off to a positive start (ES).