Elections Spoil Charity Telethon Plans

Those Dec. 5 municipal elections that many fear will have a low turnout (see recent article) have caused cancellation of the date of the big annual charity telethon (el Teletón, in Spanish) sponsored by the Club Activo 20-30. The Supreme Elections Tribunal (TSE) has ruled that the timing (beginning 9 p.m. Friday, Dec. 3 and ending at midnight, Saturday, Dec. 4) could detract from the election.

The TSE tribunal is all-powerful in its limited field of supervising balloting and political advertising, even able to commandeer the national police to ensure ordered elections. On the other hand, the Telethon is a highly respected feature that commandeers all national TV stations.

But there is no contest--Club Activo 20-30 must move its date and its elaborate plans to give nonstop entertainment, plus appeals to donors to give a projected ¢500 million to the National Children's Hospital for services that include neurology and gastro-enteritis specialties.

This year, plans for the annual institution, el Teletón, were especially elaborate, using a special stage at Alejandro Morera Soto soccer stadium in Alajuela and San Jose downtown Culture Plaza as well as "mini-telethons" in city parks of Goicoechea, Coronado, Santo Domingo and Escazú.

National entertainers who had marked the event on their calendars are not happy at all. Club 20-30 especially likes early December because that is the time that TV viewers, with their annual Christmas bonuses burning holes in their pockets, are likely to pledge generous donations to charity.

Despite having only 27 hours to meet the ¢500 million goal, the club had every expectation of hitting the mark. With TSE banning any mass event that might take away from the Dec. 5 elections, it's "back to the old drawing board..."