No menu items!

COSTA RICA'S LEADING ENGLISH LANGUAGE NEWSPAPER

HomeElections 2014Araya campaign inflates latest poll numbers

Araya campaign inflates latest poll numbers

The ruling National Liberation Party (PLN) seems to be bending the truth about candidate Johnny Araya’s chances of winning the upcoming Feb. 2 presidential election in a first-round vote.

On Friday, Araya’s campaign sent out a press release claiming that the most recent elections poll, published by University of Costa Rica weekly newspaper Semanario Universidad, showed the candidate likely within reach of a first-round victory, which requires 40 percent of the vote.

In the press release, campaign chief Antonio Álvarez Desanti said the poll results showed that – among decided voters – Araya was close to the 40 percent support required to win without a runoff.

The University of Costa Rica’s poll, released on Tuesday, did show Araya in first place, but with only 20.4 percent support, ahead of his nearest rival José María Villalta, of the Broad Front Party, at 15.3 percent.

“These results confirm that with the organization and the size of PLN, we are guaranteed a triumph in the first round,” Álvarez said in the statement.

Under the most generous reading of “decided voters,” Araya would still fall short of 40 percent. In Semanario’s poll a number of respondents did not pick a candidate, did not respond or said they were not voting. These respondents totaled 35.7 percent of the survey. Excluding these numbers, Araya’s support increases to 27.7 percent.

Similarly, Villalta’s support would increase to 20.9 percent. Semanario Universidad’s poll indicated a high probability of a runoff between these two candidates. Araya’s camp rightly noted that the poll predicted a runoff victory over Villalta or third-place candidate Otto Guevara.

If no candidate succeeds on getting more than 40 percent of the vote on Feb. 2, the top two candidates go to a runoff in April. This has only happened once, in 2002.

A January CID-Gallup poll showed Araya with 39 percent support, within reach of the runoff-breaking threshold. La Nación published a January poll that showed Araya in a virtual three-way tie with Villalta and Guevara.

This isn’t the first time critics have accused the Araya campaign of playing fast and loose. On Tuesday night, Facebook users criticized a photo Araya posted of a campaign rally in Guanacaste’s provincial capital of Liberia. Araya critics accused the candidate of using Photoshop to exaggerate the number of supporters who turned out for the rally.

Trending Now

Keylor Navas Joins Pumas UNAM in Major Liga MX Transfer

Keylor Navas has agreed to become the new goalkeeper for Pumas UNAM, marking one of the biggest signings in recent Liga MX history. The...

Keylor Navas Leads Pumas to Victory in His Liga MX Debut

Keylor Navas kicked off his Mexican league journey with Pumas UNAM in style, leading the team to a 2–0 win over Querétaro at Estadio...

Costa Rica Court Sanctions Road Official Over Delayed Wildlife Crossings

Costa Rica’s wildlife faces perils, as authorities have continously failed to build wildlife crossings. Nonetheless, the Constitutional Court has taken a firm stance in...

Malcolm-Jamal Warner’s Drowning in Costa Rica Ruled Accidental

The death of American actor Malcolm-Jamal Warner has been confirmed as accidental drowning, according to Costa Rica’s Judicial Investigation Agency (OIJ). Warner, 54, was...

Costa Rica Food Culture: From Bar Bocas to Fast Food Chains

Once upon a time in Costa Rica, you could walk into a bar, order a beer, and receive a free boca – a small...

El Salvador at Center of Controversial U.S.-Venezuela Detainee Exchange

Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele received the 10 Americans exchanged on Friday between Washington and Caracas for 252 Venezuelans who had spent four months in...
spot_img
Costa Rica Coffee Maker Chorreador
Costa Rica Coffee Maker Chorreador
Costa Rica Travel Insurance
Costa Rica Rocking Chait
Costa Rica Travel

Latest News from Costa Rica