Polls open in Costa Rica as centre-right populists aim to extend mandate

"Laura Fernandez, President Rodrigo Chaves's protege and former chief of staff, is a frontrunner and could avoid an April 5 run-off. Polls have opened in the Costa Rica general election as the centre-right populist government seeks to extend its mandate and secure control of the Legislative Assembly at a time when drug-fuelled violence has gripped the country. Voting stations opened at 6am local time (12:00 GMT) on Sunday and will remain open until 6pm (24:00 GMT), with early trends likely within hours."

"Laura Fernandez, President Rodrigo Chaves's protege and former chief of staff, is leading in the polls with more than 40 percent, enough to win outright and avoid an April 5 run-off. She has pledged to continue Chaves's tough security policies and anti-establishment message. Her closest rivals in the 20-candidate field are Alvaro Ramos, a centrist economist representing Costa Rica's oldest political party, and Claudia Dobles, an architect representing a progressive coalition and a former first lady whose husband, Carlos Alvarado, served as president from 2018 to 2022."

"Polls show about a quarter of the 3.7 million voters remain undecided, with the largest group being between the ages of 18 and 34 and from the coastal provinces of Guanacaste, Puntarenas and Limon. People are tired of promises from all the governments, including this one, even though the government has said things that are true, like needing stronger laws to restore order, said Yheison Ugarte, a 26-year-old deliveryman from downtown Limon, a Caribbean port ci"

Polling opened at 6am local time and will run until 6pm, with early trends expected within hours. Laura Fernandez leads with more than 40 percent, which would secure an outright victory and avoid an April 5 run-off. Fernandez pledges to continue tough security policies and an anti-establishment message while seeking 40 seats in the 57-seat Legislative Assembly to pursue constitutional reforms. Her principal rivals, Alvaro Ramos and Claudia Dobles, are polling in the single digits. About a quarter of 3.7 million voters remain undecided, concentrated among 18–34-year-olds in coastal provinces, amid growing drug-fuelled violence.

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