Preliminary, partial results put Costa Rican president's handpicked successor on verge of presidency ...Middle East

Preliminary and partial results showed the Costa Rican president's handpicked successor poised to win the presidency in a crowded field after Sunday's election. The Supreme Electoral Tribunal reported that with votes from 81 per cent of polling places tallied, conservative populist Laura Fernandez of the Sovereign People's Party had 48.9 per cent of the vote. Her closest challenger was economist Álvaro Ramos of the National Liberation Party with 33 per cent. Ramos conceded on Sunday night and pledged to lead a ''constructive opposition,'' but one that would not let those in power get away with anything. ''In democracy, dissent is allowed, criticism is allowed,'' he said. At least 40 per cent of the total vote is required to win the presidential election in the first round. Otherwise, the top two candidates will go to a runoff on April 5. Fernandez campaigned on continuing the policies of term-limited President Rodrigo Chaves. The historically peaceful Central American nation's crime surge in recent years could be a deciding factor for many voters. Some fault Chavez's presidency for failing to bring those rates down, but many see his confrontational style as the best chance for Costa Rica to tame the violence. Fernandez was previously Chavez's minister of national planning and economic policy and, more recently, his minister of the presidency. She is Chavez's favoured successor and was considered the frontrunner headed into Sunday's election. Costa Ricans also voted for the 57-seat National Assembly. Chavez's party is expected to make gains, but perhaps not achieve the supermajority he and Fernandez have called for, which would allow their party to choose Supreme Court magistrates, for example. Twenty contenders were seeking the presidency, but no candidate other than Fernandez and Ramos reached 5 per cent in the preliminary and partial results. Some 3.7 million Costa Ricans are eligible to vote. They began casting their ballots at 6 am on Sunday and voting continued until 6 pm. Ronald Loaiza, an electrical engineer, was one of the first to vote amid rain and cold early Sunday at a school in Cartago, about 25 kilometres (15 miles) east of San Jose. He came early so that he could accompany his father to vote later in another town. ''I hope that it's a democratic celebration, that the people come out to vote,'' he said. ''It's very important that we exercise the right that this country gives us, that we're conscious of our democracy.'' Four years ago, Chavez ran an outsider campaign that carried him to victory over the country's traditional parties, despite the fact that he had briefly served as economy minister in a previous administration. His framing of traditional parties as corrupt and self-interested resonated in a country with high unemployment and a soaring budget deficit.

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Last updated : 02 February 2026 clock 08:24 AM

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Preliminary, partial results put Costa Rican president's handpicked successor on verge of presidency ...Middle East

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