Costa Rica chooses between a former president and a minister

© Carlos González
Metro World News

SAN JOSÉ, Costa Rica (AP) — A former president and a treasury minister from Costa Rica’s outgoing government were facing off Sunday in the country’s presidential election runoff.

José María Figueres, who governed Costa Rica between 1994 and 1998, represents the National Liberation Party as did his father, José Figueres Ferrer, who was president three times. Rodrigo Chaves was the surprise of the first electoral round in February. He briefly served in the government of outgoing President Carlos Alvarado and represents the Democratic Progress party.

The two men led tough campaigns that highlighted old controversies. None came close in the first ballot to the 40% of votes needed to avoid the second round. The latest polls showed them in a technical tie ahead of Sunday’s elections.

The polls were scheduled to open from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. More than 3.5 million Costa Ricans might vote, but turnout was expected to be even lower than February’s 60% due to low enthusiasm for the candidates.

The electoral authorities investigated the Chaves campaign for an alleged parallel illegal financing infrastructure. He too has been embroiled in a sexual harassment scandal that cost him a job at the World Bank.

For his part, Figueres has been questioned regarding a payment of 900,000 dollars for consulting that he received following his presidency of the telecommunications company Alcatel when the firm was competing for a contract with the national electricity company. No charges were ever filed once morest him and he has denied any wrongdoing.

Although Costa Rica has enjoyed relative democratic stability compared to other countries in the region, the public has been frustrated by political corruption scandals and high unemployment.

In the February vote, Alvarado’s party practically disappeared from the political landscape and was left without seats in the new congress. When that first round was held, the country was experiencing a peak in COVID-19 infections, although cases and hospitalizations have dropped considerably since then.