2018 Costa Rican General Election Sunday Feb 04,2018

Presidential Election

Conservative Christian preacher Fabricio Alvarado has had a strong showing in the first round of Costa Rica's presidential election, which was dominated by the issue of gay marriage.

With most votes counted, Fabricio Alvarado had 24.7% of the vote with nearest rival Carlos Alvarado on 21.6%.

Ahead of Sunday's election, Fabricio Alvarado, who represents the right-wing National Restoration Party (PRN), surged to the top of opinion polls.

In all, 13 candidates ran to replace President Luis Guillermo Solis of the centre-left Citizen's Action Party (PAC).

PAC candidate Carlos Alvarado (no relation to Fabricio Alvarado) took second place ahead of former lawmaker Antonio Alvarez from the centre-right National Liberation Party (PLN).
As neither won 40%, both candidates will go to a run-off in April 2018

Same-sex marriage became a key issue after a court ruled that such alliances should be recognised in the country.

The Inter-American Court of Human Rights requires deeply Catholic Costa Rica to abide by its ruling.

But the decision led to a backlash and saw Fabricio Alvarado become the most popular presidential candidate.

Presidential candidate Fabricio Alvarado, with the National Restoration party, gives a thumbs-up as he's surrounded by the press at a polling station during general elections in San Jose, Costa Rica, Sunday, Feb. 4, 2018. Costa Ricans voted Sunday in a presidential race shaken by an international court ruling saying the country should let same-sex couples get married.

 

A woman casts her ballot behind a box cover that reads in Spanish "The vote is secret." during a general elections in San Jose, Costa Rica, Sunday, Feb. 4, 2018