Status: 04/04/2022 11:00 a.m
In Costa Rica, the conservative Chaves won the presidential election. According to preliminary results, he received more than 50 percent of the votes in the runoff. The result is “an enormous responsibility”.
In Central American Costa Rica, former finance minister Rodrigo Chaves of the social-democratic PPSD has won the runoff election for the presidency, according to preliminary results.
After counting 98 percent of the votes, the 60-year-old economist and former World Bank employee came to just under 52.9 percent, as the electoral authority announced on its website late Sunday evening.
Chaves: Result is “an enormous responsibility”
Chaves said he accepted the people’s decision with “the deepest humility”. “For me, this result is neither a medal nor a trophy, but a huge responsibility,” he said.
His rival, former incumbent José María Figueres from the center party PLN, received almost 47.2 percent. “Costa Rica voted and the people spoke. As Democrats, we respect that decision,” Figueres said.
The plan is for the winner to succeed the social democrat Carlos Alvarado as head of state and government on May 8th. For constitutional reasons, he was not allowed to stand as a candidate in the vote.
Presidential candidate Jose Maria Figueres concedes defeat during a speech in Costa Rica’s presidential election.
Image: REUTERS
Allegations against both candidates
In the first round of voting on February 6, 67-year-old Figueres received the most votes with a good 27 percent. At that time, Chaves had almost 17 percent. In polls, however, he had recently been ahead of Figueres. To avert the runoff, a candidate would have had to get at least 40 percent of the votes.
There had been allegations of misconduct against both candidates during the election campaign. According to media reports, a few years ago Chaves was fined by his long-time employer, the World Bank, for allegations of sexual harassment. Figueres was investigated in 2004 on suspicion of accepting a bribe from the French telecommunications group Alcatel, but he was not charged.
Costa Rica is suffering from economic crisis
Costa Rica, with its approximately five million inhabitants, is one of the most politically stable countries in Central America and is therefore a popular holiday destination. In the violent region, it has been doing without armed forces for decades.
However, the country is currently suffering from an economic crisis that has been exacerbated by the corona pandemic. Last year, 23 percent of the population lived below the poverty line.