Costa Rica elects president among 25 candidates and without a favorite


Costa Rica This Sunday, the vote to elect a new president ended, among 25 candidates and without favorites to face the economic crisis that is hitting one of the most stable democracies in Latin America, which suggests a second round.

The Supreme Electoral Tribunal will give the first cut of official results starting at 8:45 local time.

At 6 p.m. local time, those in charge of each voting center rang bells to warn of the punctual closing of the elections, after 12 hours of voting. At a school in Moravia, in the capital San José, Mariela Cascante, 39, ran in at the last minute, applauded and encouraged by the delegates.

“Running and with only a minute, but I had to vote, because it is to celebrate a right that we all have. Costa Ricans and you have to make it count. I had come early and there were a lot of people, but I never hesitated to come,” he said.

In these elections, in which the 57 deputies of Parliament are also elected, the electoral authorities confirmed a massive turnout at the polls, despite the fact that during the campaign there was little citizen enthusiasm.

“It is the third election that I have observed in Costa Rica and I have always witnessed a democratic party (…). It is essential to observe the regional benchmarks in democracy,” Gerard de Icaza, one of the 18 observers, highlighted on his Twitter account. of the Organization of American States (OAS) present at the event.

After the polls closed, the streets of the capital were filled with cars and flags of the main political parties in the contest.

However, analysts agreed that this electoral round will not have an absolute winner, since no one will reach the necessary 40%, which will activate a ballot between the two most voted, on April 3.

Among the candidates, according to previous polls, only five have a real chance of reaching the ballot.

The first of them is former center-left president José María Figueres (1994-1998), who led the polls with 17% support.

“We have a million and a half people living in poverty and half a million in extreme poverty. There is a lack of housing solutions of 160,000 homes. We have never experienced these things in such magnitude,” he said.

Oversupply of matches

Second in the polls was the Christian Socialist Lineth Saborío, with 13 percent.

“We feel that we are achieving our objectives. We are sure of the results, we are going to continue advancing,” said Saborío.

For his part, in the third step with 10.3% of the preferences, was the evangelical conservative Fabricio Alvarado, a New Republic candidate who reached the second round in 2018 but lost to the outgoing president, Carlos Alvarado.

“It has been a physically tiring campaign, but we are happy and with the expectation of achieving the goal and winning these elections,” he declared.

The other candidates with options are the right-wing economist Rodrigo Chaves (8.2%) and the leftist José María Villalta (7.6 percent).

The five candidates were accompanied this Sunday by multiple supporters who encouraged an election that, until Saturday, was cold and walked hand in hand with uncertainty, with 31.8% of the electorate undecided, according to polls.

Return of the traditional

For analysts, the large number of candidates is also a reflection of a country that, despite its stability, suffers from enormous political mistrust.

One of the scenarios in the ballot could face the traditional parties: National Liberation Party (PLN), of Figueres ─president in 1994-1998-─, and Christian Social Unity Party (PUSC) of Saborío ─vice president in 2002-2006─.

This would bring back the bipartisanship of the 20th century, broken with the victory of the Citizen Action Party (PAC), which governed for the last eight years but today is unpopular and has no chance.

During the day, President Alvarado limited himself to highlighting the democratic solidity of the country.

“We are among the strongest democracies in the world and today we reaffirm that with our vote (…) Other countries do not have this free option. We have had elections continuously since 1953,” he stressed.

Crisis

Known for being the first country in Latin America in the 2018-2020 global happiness ranking and its environmental activism, Costa Rica sees its joy overshadowed by a severe financial and social crisis.

Unemployment (14.4% in 2021), poverty (23% in 2021) and an economy with public debt equivalent to 70% of GDP set off the alarms of multilateral organizations.

The situation worsened with the covid-19 pandemic, which hit tourism hard, one of its main engines.

In addition, in the last 13 years, two former presidents faced trials for corruption (one was convicted) and in 2021 two cases of million-dollar irregularities broke out in the public works sector, with ministers involved.

This citizen discontent has been tangible, as it has grown since the 2010 presidential vote, reaching 34.3% in 2018.

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