Former president José María Figueres (1994-1998), candidate for the National Liberation Party (PLN), and Rodrigo Chaves of the Social Democratic Progress Party (PSD) will contest the second round on Sunday, April 3, following the results of the elections in Costa Rica this Sunday.
With 80% of the votes counted, it is confirmed that Chaves managed to advance with a small advantage over the evangelical preacher Fabricio Alvarado (New Republic).
Chaves was proclaimed on Sunday night as the candidate who will compete with Figueres on April 3 and the front pages of the main Costa Rican newspapers already treat it as fact, despite the votes that still need to be counted.
According to the latest data published by the Supreme Electoral Tribunal (TSE), Figueres obtained 27.3% of the votes, Chaves 16.7%, and Alvarado 14.9%.
Abstention stands at 40%, the highest of all elections held in the country since 1953, according to historical data from the TSE.
This Monday the TSE will finish releasing the preliminary results, and from Tuesday the final vote count will begin.
Figueres and the dignity of women
In his victory speech, Figueres highlighted the result of the election before a group of party supporters: “We won this first round by a robust margin and that also gives us an enormous responsibility.”
He affirmed that they are “one step away from beginning the rescue and transformation” of the country.
“In National Liberation, the doors are open to other political options because we want to count on you to help us reform this country that we love so much,” he said.
In addition, he maintained that he will ensure respect for women: “We will have a government again with dignity for women. Disrespect for the integrity of women will not be hidden with wordplay.” He was referring to the situation of Rodrigo Chaves, who was accused of sexual harassment during his time at the World Bank between 2008 and 2013.
Chaves against “conflict and sterile confrontation”
Chaves, for his part, stressed that the “youngest party of this campaign” will be in the second round on April 3. He proposed to Figueres to “leave behind the conflict and the sterile confrontation”, to focus on “dialogue and the debate of ideas” that allow the “indispensable consensus for the country”.
Chaves, a candidate who defines himself as a centrist, was in the eye of the storm and was especially attacked by his opponents in recent debates due to allegations of sexual harassment. The PSD standard-bearer did not appear among the three favorites in the polls, in a campaign marked by a high number of undecided voters.
For his part, Fabricio Alvarado said that “we must wait” for the final count of the TSE, although he stressed that if the adverse result is confirmed, his party will remain on the country’s political scene.
“I am saying that the percentage difference is 1%. The New Republic flag is here to stay, this does not end here. The New Republic is here to stay,” was the last message he sent to his supporters.
Parliament
This Sunday’s election marks a disaster for the ruling party, Citizen Action, leaving it without representatives in the National Assembly, whereas in the previous election it obtained nine seats.
With the provisional results, the National Liberation Party would have 18 seats, Social Christian Unity 12, Social Democratic Progress 9, New Republic 7, Liberal Progressive 6 and Broad Front 5 (it obtained four more seats than in the previous election). The Social Democratic Progress, New Republic and Liberal Progressive parties had no representatives in the assembly elected in 2018.