Avon Ladies in Costa Rica may have been unwittingly recruited to conduct a smear campaign against a presidential candidate. The Supreme Electoral Tribunal (Spanish initials: TSE), one of the most venerable democratic institutions in Costa Rica, recently issued an order against Avon for allegedly distributing propaganda pamphlets urging makeup shoppers to “Say No To Communism.”

According to journalist Paula Ruiz Guevara of daily newspaper La Prensa Libre, the TSE received 14 complaints against Avon on its 800-Elector telephone hotline, but concerned social media netizens in Costa Rica had already set up a Facebook page calling on people to boycott Avon for its alleged political belligerence and interference.

The Alleged Avon Propaganda Mechanism

According to the TSE injunction, Avon distributors in Costa Rica were given a pamphlet along with their usual receipts for cosmetics and beauty products drawn on credit. The pamphlet, which is pictured in this article, is essentially a paper flag of Costa Rica. Printed on the flag is a message (in Spanish, of course) with the screaming headline:

OUR FAMILIES AND BUSINESSES ARE IN DANGER

The final line at the bottom of the flag reads:

“Say No To Communism.”

The rest of the message is a veiled call to abstain from voting for presidential candidate Jose Maria Villalta or his Frente Amplio (Broad Front) political party. The basis of the opposition is purely ideological: They wish to paint Mr. Villalta in the same light as the late Hugo Chavez, the controversial ruler of Venezuela whose mandate was radical and questionable. Ironically, Mr. Villalta has been criticized by real communists in Costa Rica for not being leftist enough.

According to online newspaper El Pais, Avon did not go about this in a surreptitious manner. On the official Facebook Timeline of Avon Costa Rica, the director of the company accepted responsibility for the pamphlets and the campaign. The director claims that the campaign aims to open discussion and to send a message related to democracy. Sounds like a noble endeavor, but the problem is that employers in Costa Rica are barred from exerting political influence on their workers by Article 70 of the Labor Code and Article 279 of the Electoral Code.

Avon is no stranger to high-profile legal and ideological ruckus. The company has been prosecuted for violations of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act for its alleged bribery of key persons in China who could help Avon gain a lucrative foothold in the Asian nation.