2014 Costa Rican General Election Sunday Feb 02,2014

Cost Rica will hold Parliamentary and Presidential elections on Sunday, 2 February 2014 to elect a new President, two Vice-Presidents, and 57 legislative assembly lawmakers

Voting is compulsory in Costa Rica, nevertheless abstentionism was 35% in 2006 and 32% in 2010

As per the Costa Rican Article 132 of the Constitution, the incumbent President,Laura Chinchilla Miranda is ineligible to run for a second consecutive term

 Presidential Candidates

The Ruling Party, the Centre-left National Liberation Party has nominated the Mayor of San Jose Johnny Araya Monge as its presidential candidate
The Libertarian Movement Party has nominated former legislator Otto Guevara Guth and
The Leftist Broad Front has nominated Jose Maria Villalta Florez-Estrada
Citizen's Action Party has nominated LuisGuillermo SolisRivera
Social Christian Unity Party has nominated Rodolfo Emilio Piza Rocafort


Opinion polls in December 2013 showed Mayor of San Jose Johnny Araya Monge ahead with 37% Jose Maria Villalta Florez-Estrada close behind at 32% and Otto Guevara Guth trailing at 15 % suggesting the likelihood of a Run-Off

The current administration of the National Liberation Party has been hit by numerous scandals during its 8-year in power
Cost Rica's first female President Laura Chinchilla Miranda has squandered the domestic and international support she enjoyed upon her election in 2010 and was recently named the least popular President in Latin America with a 13% approval rate

The governing party's candidate has taken a clear lead in early results as votes are counted in Costa Rica's presidential election.
Johnny Araya of the National Liberation Party is on 36% with centrist Luis Guillermo Solis on 21% and left-winger Jose Maria Villalta on 17%.
If no candidate wins outright, there will be a run-off on April 06,2014

Provisional first-round results in the Costa Rica presidential election

Costa Rican presidential candidate Johnny Araya, from the governing party, says he is abandoning his campaign for April's run-off election.

The surprise move opens the way for his only opponent, the left-leaning historian Luis Guillermo Solis, to be elected president on April 06,2014

Luis Guillermo Solis Wins Presidential Election

he current Costa Rican administration of the National Liberation Party has been hit by numerous scandals during its eight years in power. The country’s first female President, Laura Chinchilla (pictured above with Hillary Clinton), has squandered the domestic and international support she enjoyed upon her election in 2010, and was recently named the least popular president in Latin America with a 13% approval rate i
Read more at http://www.inquisitr.com/1115732/costa-rica-election-hangs-by-a-thread/#3O0ODSCG1aumI03P.99

Luis Guillermo Solis of the centre-left Citizen Action Party (PAC) has won the presidential election in Costa Rica.

With almost all the votes counted, Mr Solis had 78%.
He had been expected to win after his rival - governing party candidate Johnny Araya - had stopped campaigning after opinion polls suggested Solis had an unassailable lead.

Solis's win breaks with the traditional two-party system which has dominated in Costa Rica for decades.
 Araya, whose name remained on the ballot even after he pulled out, got 22%. 43% of the electorate abstained, the highest rate in the past 60 years.

Solis, a 55-year-old historian and former diplomat, had started campaigning in October to raise his profile, which was rather low at the time.
His PAC party, which was founded in 2000, has never before been in power.
The PAC's narrow victory in the first round on 2 February against the well-established governing National Liberation Party came as a surprise.
Analysts say Mr Solis's campaign promise to tackle corruption and poverty in the Central American nation won over many undecided voters.
On 5 March, an opinion poll suggested Mr Solis had the support of 64% of voters with his rival lagging behind with 21%.

This prompted Mr Araya to give up his presidential bid. He said proceeding would be a waste of money.

The current Costa Rican administration of the National Liberation Party has been hit by numerous scandals during its eight years in power. The country’s first female President, Laura Chinchilla (pictured above with Hillary Clinton), has squandered the domestic and international support she enjoyed upon her election in 2010, and was recently named the least popular president in Latin America with a 13% approval rate
Read more at http://www.inquisitr.com/1115732/costa-rica-election-hangs-by-a-thread/#3O0ODSCG1aumI03P.99

The current Costa Rican administration of the National Liberation Party has been hit by numerous scandals during its eight years in power. The country’s first female President, Laura Chinchilla (pictured above with Hillary Clinton), has squandered the domestic and international support she enjoyed upon her election in 2010, and was recently named the least popular president in Latin America with a 13% approval rate
Read more at http://www.inquisitr.com/1115732/costa-rica-election-hangs-by-a-thread/#3O0ODSCG1aumI03P.99