"Laura Fernandez, a conservative, populist politician with strong links to outgoing President Rodrigo Chaves, has won nearly half of the votes in Costa Rica's general election with 94% of votes counted, meaning she will become the country's new leader. Her victory confirms a strong rightward trend in Latin America, where voter anger at corruption and crime have driven recent conservative wins in Chile, Bolivia, Argentina and Honduras."
"Fernandez had won 48.3% of the vote, the preliminary results from the Supreme Electoral Tribunal (TSE) showed, far in excess of the 40% needed to avoid a run-off. Fernandez's party, the Sovereign People's Party, is also projected to win a majority of 30 seats in the 57-seat Congress, up from its current eight seats. The other main candidates in the election lagged far behind Fernandez, with economist Alvaro Ramos receiving about one third of the vote, and architect and former first lady Claudia Dobles taking under 5%."
""Change will be deep and irreversible," Fernandez said during her victory speech, while declaring that under her, Costa Rica would enter a new political era. "It's up to us to build the third republic," she told supporters, with the country's second republic following a civil war in 1948 "a thing of the past.""
Laura Fernandez secured the presidency with 48.3% of the vote, surpassing the 40% threshold required to avoid a run-off. Her Sovereign People's Party is projected to increase its representation to 30 of 57 congressional seats, up from eight. Main opponents trailed significantly, with Alvaro Ramos obtaining about one third and Claudia Dobles under 5%. Fernandez is aligned with outgoing President Rodrigo Chaves and has pledged to continue tough security policies while including the former president in government roles. Fernandez framed the victory as a deep, irreversible shift into a new political era and will be Costa Rica's second female president.
Read at www.dw.com
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