San José Mayor Johnny Araya is the most popular among a field of potential candidates from the ruling National Liberation Party (PLN) for the 2014 presidential race, a recent poll found.
The poll, conducted by consulting firm Borge y Asociados and published Monday in Diario Extra, shows Araya leading Liberation candidates with 37.4 percent support of those surveyed.
Rodrigo Arias, brother of former President Oscar Arias and a longtime political adviser, came in second with 21.1 percent, followed by former President Jose María Figueres with 12.7 percent. Antonio Álvarez Desanti received 10.6 percent, and Fernando Berrocal placed last with 2.3 percent. Slightly more than 11 percent of the 1,200 Liberation members polled did not select a candidate.
Poll results showed that Arias is more popular among members of the upper class, entrepreneurs, and PLN leaders, while Araya leads among young voters, public employees and members of the middle class.
