San Jose [Costa Rica], February 2 (ANI): Right-wing law-and-order candidate Laura Fernandez has taken a strong early lead in Costa Rica’s presidential election, according to preliminary results reported by Al Jazeera.
Based on early counting, ballots from 31 percent of polling stations tallied late Sunday showed Fernandez, of the ruling Sovereign People Party, securing 53.01 percent of the vote, placing her comfortably ahead in the initial race.
In second place was Alvaro Ramos of the center-left National Liberation Party with 30.05 percent, followed by former First Lady Claudia Dobles with 3.9 percent, Al Jazeera reported.
With these figures, Fernandez would need at least 40 percent of the vote to secure an outright victory and avoid a runoff election scheduled for April 5.
The 39-year-old politician has campaigned as the chosen successor of incumbent President Rodrigo Chaves, pledging to continue his hardline security agenda. Crime has risen sharply in the traditionally peaceful Central American nation in recent years, making public safety a decisive issue for many voters.
While some critics blame the Chaves administration for failing to curb violence, others view his confrontational approach as the most effective way to restore order, according to Al Jazeera. Fernandez has closely aligned herself with Chaves, having previously served as minister of national planning and economic policy and later as minister of the presidency.
Alongside the presidential vote, Costa Ricans also elected members to the 57-seat National Assembly. Chaves’s party is expected to make gains, though it may fall short of the supermajority sought by Chaves and Fernandez, which would allow their bloc to appoint Supreme Court magistrates, among other powers, Al Jazeera reported.
Although 20 candidates entered the race, preliminary and partial results showed that no contender other than Fernandez and Ramos crossed the 5 percent mark.
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