Chavez, a veteran former World Bank official, was projected to win about 52.9% of the vote in the second round, according to a preliminary count by the Electoral Court, based on returns from about 97% of constituencies. Rival candidate and former Costa Rican president Jose Maria Figueres was seen securing about 47.1%. Sign up now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com Register Speaking to supporters in the capital, San Jose, the 60-year-old Chavez said he humbly accepted his victory and urged Figueres to help him move the country forward. “I humbly ask Jose Maria and his party to work together to make possible what Don Jose Maria himself called the Costa Rica miracle,” he said, referring to Figueres’s father, Jose Figueres Ferrer, who has been president three times. . “Let’s put aside pettiness and vanity. Tonight we will start serving our country together,” added Chaves, who is due to take office on May 8. Figueres quickly conceded defeat after the result. “I congratulate Rodrigo Chaves and wish him all the best,” he told supporters. Caravans carrying the flag of Chavez’s Social Democrat Progress Party (PPSD) crowded the streets of downtown San Jose in celebration. Polls suggest Chaves was a slight frontrunner in the election, finishing unexpectedly second to Figueres in an undecided first round of voting in February. Chavez, who briefly served as caretaker Prime Minister Carlos Alvarado’s finance minister, has been nominated as a criminal. He vowed to shake up the political elite, even vowing to use referendums to bypass Congress to bring about change. read more “If the people go to the polls, it’s going to be a sweep, a tsunami,” Chavez said after voting Sunday. Figueres campaigned for his experience and family political legacy in Costa Rica, a tourist destination and stronghold of the environment that has long been considered one of the most stable democracies in Latin America. On Twitter, Alvarado said he called to congratulate Chavez and vowed to hand over power regularly. Turnout was 57.3%, the electoral court said, less than the 60% who voted in the first round. Turning to Sunday’s vote, some voters said they were lukewarm with both candidates, whose political careers have been marred by allegations of wrongdoing. Chaves has faced allegations of sexual harassment during his tenure at the World Bank, which he has denied. Figueres resigned as executive director of the World Economic Forum in 2004 amid allegations that he had influenced state-owned contracts with Alcatel, a telecommunications company. This case was never heard in court. David Diaz, 33, said he was not thrilled by Chavez or Figueres. He left home early to vote at 7 a.m. in the rural town of Takakori, about 30 miles (19 miles) from San Jose. “I see very little movement, there is a lot of apathy,” said Diaz, an engineer at a medical device factory. Chaves faces the challenges of reviving an economy hit by the COVID-19 pandemic and alleviating the poverty in which about 23% of a population of 5.1 million live. Rising income inequality makes Costa Rica one of the most unequal countries in the world, with almost 15% unemployment. read more In January 2021, the country agreed to $ 1.78 billion in financial assistance from the International Monetary Fund. In return, the government has promised to adopt a series of fiscal changes and austerity measures, but lawmakers have passed legislation only to save resources on public sector employee benefits. Sign up now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com Register Report by Diego Ore and Alvaro Murillo, written by Cassandra Garrison. Edited by Clarence Fernandez Our role models: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
