A GUIDE TO
A Guide to 2018 Latin American Elections: Costa Rica
Carlos Alvarado of the governing Citizen Action Party (PAC) won Costa Rica's presidential runoff in an unexpected landslide on April 1 when he beat evangelical Congressman Fabricio Alvarado (no relation) 60.7 percent to 39.3 percent. Fabricio had won the February 4 first round with 24.9 percent of the vote, while Carlos nabbed 21.7 percent.
PAC cofounder Epsy Campbell made history by becoming the first Afro-descendant woman elected vice president in continental Latin America, according to The Tico Times. The new administration will be sworn in on May 8 to a four-year term.
Ticos also elected 57 deputies to the Legislative Assembly in February. The National Liberation Party has 17 seats in the 2018–2022 session, Fabricio's National Restoration Party 14, and the PAC 10. Twenty-six legislators will be women.
>> Find out about other elections in our main 2018 Election Guide.
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Issues that defined the presidential campaign remain front and center in the national dialogue.
The ruling party candidate defied polls to best conservative Fabricio Alvarado by double digits in the April 1 vote.
Ticos cast votes for Fabricio Alvarado and Carlos Alvarado on April 1, Easter Sunday.
Fabricio Alvarado has a slight edge but it’s a technical tie, and rising economic concerns could help Carlos Alvarado in the April 1 runoff.
After decades of steady bipartisan politics, in 2018, Tico voters keep changing their minds about who they’re going to vote for on February 4, say two University of Costa Rica pollsters.
Fabricio Alvarado maintains his lead in the final poll before the February 4 vote, while Carlos Alvarado makes big gains, and Juan Diego Castro tumbles.
In an election marked by social conservatism, ticos will choose between Carlos and Fabricio Alvarado on Easter Sunday, April 1.
Just before the February 4 first round, court rulings have stirred the social order in the traditionally conservative country.
Latin Americans will vote for nine new presidents in two years, along with more than 2,900 legislators.