Former Costa Rican President José María Figueres held the lead after Sunday’s general election in Costa Rica as the Central American country appeared headed for a runoff election in April.
Figueres, who was president of the country between 1994 and 1998, obtained 27.3% of the votes in the preliminary results released on Monday by the Supreme Electoral Tribunal, with 88% of the votes counted. Figueres is the candidate of the National Liberation Party. The former president is well known among voters in Costa Rica. His father was the three-time president José Figueres Ferrer, probably the country’s most important political figure of the last century.
The current candidate has been questioned about a $900,000 consultancy he received after his presidency of the Alcatel telecommunications company while competing for a contract with the national electricity company. He was never charged with any crime and denied any wrongdoing.
Rodrigo Chaves, who unexpectedly came second, won 16.7% of the vote for his Social Democratic Progress party. The 60-year-old US-educated economist has been accused of sexual harassment by two women during his career as a former World Bank executive. The women accused him of making inappropriate comments about their relationships and their appearance.
Chaves was demoted by the World Bank before he left. The issue played a role in the primary campaigns, but gained support due to its criticism of the highly unpopular outgoing President Carlos Alvarado. Chaves served for seven months as finance minister in the Alvarado administration between 2019 and 2020, resigning over differences over how to handle the country’s spending shortfall.
There were 25 presidential candidates competing in Sunday’s election race, and because none of them appeared to get at least 40% of the vote, a runoff will be held on April 3 between the top two.
After Figueres and Chaves, the results were followed by Fabricio Alvarado, who lost to President Carlos Alvarado four years ago, with 15% for his New Republic party. Former Vice President Lineth Saborío of Christian Social Unity had 12.4% and Eli Feinzaig of the Progressive Liberal Party had 12.3%.
Costa Ricans also elected a new National Assembly in Sunday’s elections, which came days after the country’s attorney general filed documents seeking to lift outgoing President Alvarado’s immunity so he can face justice.
Costa Ricans are frustrated by high unemployment, recent public corruption scandals, and another wave of COVID-19 infections. New infections hover around 6,000 a day in the country of five million.
Voting centers have been busy since Sunday morning as some Costa Ricans tried to beat the typical last-day crowds. The lines of voters lasted all day.
Karla Delgado, a 34-year-old teacher, told The Associated Press that she was concerned about the high number of COVID-19 infections but could not evade her civic duty to vote. “I think that with a mask and since we are all well vaccinated, it is worth going out and participating in this democratic party.”
“I expected fewer people in the morning because you try to avoid the lines, but apparently many people thought the same thing and came to vote early,” Carlos Rodríguez, a 68-year-old pensioner who voted in a center, told the AP. Saint Joseph.