Updates: Rodrigo Chaves Leads in 2022 Elections in Costa Rica

According to Eugenia Zamora, with 89.05 percent of the ballots processed (6,097 votes), the candidate Rodrigo Chaves of the Partido Progreso Social Democrático obtained 918,040 votes (equivalent to 52.90 percent), while José María Figueres for Liberación Nacional obtained 817,319 votes (47.10 percent).

At the same time, the TSE authority specified that the participation in the presidential second round was 57.15 percent and abstention reached 42.85 percentage points, "there were 38,821 null votes, 7,055 blank votes and the total number of votes received is 1,781,235", she detailed.

The Supreme Electoral Tribunal (TSE) of Costa Rica announced this Sunday the closing of the polling stations, after the election day where citizens decide the new president for the period 2022-2026.

The authorities of the TSE emphasized that the day was carried out calmly and there were no setbacks, "the only thing that occurred was the unfortunate death of a citizen after casting his vote", added the president of the TSE, Eugenia Zamora.

For this second round, the right-wing Rodrigo Chaves and the centrist José María Figueres are competing for the presidential seat. At the same time, preliminary results from the TSE itself are expected in the next hours.

José María Figueres aspires to a second presidential term, while Rodrigo Chaves is postulated as the figure of change in the country. Voting continues in the Central American territory, however, no clear sign of a winner has surfaced yet.

The winner of these presidential ellections will be facing mayor social and economic challenges. However, Costa Rica, unlike some neighbouring LATAM countries, has a secure environment that can be condusive to the prosperity with good reforms.

Regarding the elections in Costa Rica, teleSUR interviewed Yhamir Chabur, analyst of "Nacion Troika", who gives his opinion on the electoral panorama facing the country.

More than eight hours after opening, Costa Rica's polling stations have received a good number of voters to elect in second round the new president for the 2022-2026 period, between the right-wing Rodrigo Chaves and the centrist José María Figueres.

This was witnessed in the schools and colleges that welcome voters this Sunday, also confirmed by the Supreme Electoral Tribunal (TSE), in its first conference of the day.

"We expect that as the day progresses people will have greater affluence to the different voting centers. We urge people to exercise their right to vote. We remind that there is time until 18H00 hours and that if they lost their cédula today we will be working to deliver them so they can vote", urged Héctor Fernández, director of the Electoral Registry.

The previous round of electios was marked by lack of majority vote among candidates; while the economic crisis and social problems require committed solutions, the fragmented political scope responds to growing issues in the country.

Chaves calls for "tsunami" of votes to sweep Costa Rica's presidential ballot

Economist Rodrigo Chaves, presidential candidate for the Social Democratic Progress party of Costa Rica, said this Sunday after voting that he will sweep the ballot with a "tsunami of votes".

"Go out to vote, go out to vote, go out to vote.... We are going to win, this is going to be a tsunami, we are going to sweep", declared Chaves while leaving the polling station located in the Napoleón Quesada high school, in San José.

Costa Rican Electoral Court confirms that voting progressed without incidents

Costa Rica's polling stations are working in their totality and the day of the presidential runoff between José María Figueres and Rodrigo Chaves is progressing without incidents, the Supreme Electoral Tribunal (TSE) explained in a press conference.

"It has been a very calm morning in terms of incidents; we have the report that 100 percent (of the voting tables) were open at 6:30 in the morning (12:30 GMT)," assured Héctor Fernández, director of the electoral registry of the TSE, who denied rumors about alleged warnings of electoral crimes.

According to Fernandez, the TSE has already identified the company that circulated the rumors and requested the corresponding invoice to know who financed the referred message about alleged institutional alerts to the electoral prosecutors participating in the process.

The official added that seven consulates abroad had already closed the voting and acknowledged that there were fewer lines at the voting centers this Sunday than on the morning of February 6, when the first round of these elections took place.

Magistrate Eugenia Zamora, president of the TSE, emphasized that the first preliminary results of this runoff will be released at 20:00 local time (02:00 GMT on Monday, April 4), two hours after the official closing of the polls.

Zamora added that on Tuesday, April 5, the definitive scrutiny will begin, and only when it is finished the TSE will declare the final result of the presidential election. 

President Carlos Alvarado calls on people to vote

"We are an example in the world of freedom, democracy and peace, which are the pillars on which our country has consolidated its history and is building its future. Congratulations, Costa Rica, for the new democratic day we will live today, " tweeted the Republic President, Carlos Alvarado.

Figueres told local media that he barely slept three hours and called on citizens to exercise their right to vote early in a message to reporters stationed in front of his house.

"I hope we all go with the civility, cordiality and culture that we have always had as a Costa Rican family to vote," said Figueres, who also called on his Twitter account to participate in what he defined as a "historical date" with the country.

The foreign vote, enabled in 52 consulates in 42 countries, began in Australia, in the diplomatic representation of Costa Rica in Canberra.

This ballot is part of the eighteenth presidential and legislative elections organized by Costa Rica since the Political Constitution of 1949 came into force, which enables every citizen over 18 years of age to vote.

The winner of these elections will take office next May 8 to face challenges such as the fight against corruption or the approval of a millionaire debt with the International Monetary Fund.

Data transmission will begin at the closing of the polling stations through mobile devices, telephone call center operators and laptops with the internet.

The plenary of magistrates of the TSE will announce the first provisional results of the elections in a solemn session broadcast on television and social networks at 20:00 local time (02:00 GMT on Monday, April 4).

Since April 1, the restrictions on the capacity of the polling stations dictated to stop the spread of the covid-19 pandemic were eliminated. Therefore no physical distancing will be required at the polling stations, although the mandatory use of masks will be maintained.

The Supreme Electoral Tribunal (TSE) of Costa Rica decreed this Sunday at 6:00 local time (12:00 GMT) the opening of polls to define between José María Figueres and Rodrigo Chaves the president of the Republic for the period 2022-2026.

"As of this moment, the polling stations open", informed the electoral entity in its Twitter account.

Around 3.5 million Costa Ricans are called to participate this Sunday in the second round of elections to choose the next president of the Central American country between candidates José María Figueres and Rodrigo Chaves.

The Supreme Electoral Tribunal (TSE) said that everything was ready for the electoral day that began the day before with the opening of the electoral centers abroad.

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In this sense, the electoral authority pointed out that the only two polling stations that will not open are in Shanghai, China, due to the confinement due to the covid-19 pandemic, and the one in Moscow, Russia, due to the conflict with Ukraine.

According to the TSE, voting centers will be open between 06.00 and 18.00 local time (12.00 and 00.00 GMT), and the first results will be published in a solemn session at 20.00 local time (02.00 GMT on Monday).

According to the Costa Rican Constitution, the winner of the second round will be the candidate who obtains the majority of votes, in case of a tie, the oldest candidate wins. In this case, Figueres.  

José María Figueres, candidate of the Partido Liberación Nacional - National Liberation Party (PLN, which defines itself as a center or center-left party), and who governed the country between 1994 and 1998, won in the first round on February 6 with 27.3 percent of the votes, but failed to reach the 40 percent of the votes needed to avoid a runoff.

Rodrigo Chaves of the Partido Progreso Social Democrático - Social Democratic Progress Party (PPSD, Centre to center-right) made it to the second round, coming in second place with 16.7 percent of the votes.

The winner will have to face an economic and social crisis resulting from the two-year pandemic that has exacerbated discontent among the population.

Currently, the main concerns of "Ticos," as Costa Ricans are also known, are the rising cost of living, unemployment, poverty and a public debt equivalent to 70 percent of GDP.