Polling gets Narrower as Sunday’s Presidential

Elections in Costa Rica Approach on Sunday

COHA revisits its interview of Ottón Solís.
Arias – revered by some, but an object of disdain by more than a few.

After four years under the leadership of Oscar Arias, Costa Ricans will vote for a new president this Sunday, February 7th. In October 2008, Laura Chinchilla resigned as Vice President and Minister of Justice and Peace to launch her presidential campaign under the banner of the ruling Partido Liberación National (PLN or Liberal National Party). In office, she had one of the highest approval ratings in the country’s recent political history. Six months ago, the outcome of the upcoming presidential election seemed entirely predictable; today, the margin has drastically narrowed. If Chinchilla does not receive more than 40% of the vote, Costa Rican electoral law requires a run-off election. As of today, the election almost certainly is heading for a second round.

Meet the Candidates
The top three candidates for this coming Sunday’s presidential ballot are Chinchilla of the Liberation National Party, Otto Guevara of the Libertarian Movement (ML), and Ottón Solís of the Citizens Action Party (PAC). The forthcoming descriptions are not meant to be an exhaustive history of the candidates’ backgrounds, but rather an overview of key developments that have occurred as the campaign has unfolded.

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This analysis was prepared by COHA Research Associate Nicole Fillion-Robin