Luis Guillermo Solís says he is not seeking support from ex-President Oscar Arias

Presidential candidate Luis Guillermo Solís on Monday denied rumors that the influential Arias brothers plan to support him in the upcoming runoff.

“That is gossip, and it comes as a result of everyone watching us. They have not communicated anything to me, I will not join with them, I am not thinking about joining with them, so I appreciate it that you clarify that these are only rumors,” Solís said, addressing reporters at the Legislative Assembly and on his Twitter account.

Solís, of the center-left Citizen Action Party, said his priority is to meet “with all movements, organizations and social collectives before political parties.”

Solís will face off against centrist National Liberation Party (PLN) candidate Johnny Araya in a runoff election on April 6. Oscar and Rodrigo Arias are both powerful figures of the PLN, the current ruling party. The Arias brothers arrived to vote in the initial election on Feb. 2 in the party’s traditional green and white colors, but neither sibling has campaigned openly for Araya.

Oscar Arias was president of Costa Rica from 1986-1990 and 2006-2010. He won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1987. Rodrigo Arias has served in prominent positions in various PLN administrations and was an initial primary candidate for the PLN, but quickly dropped out of the race, along with former President José María Figueres (1994-1998).

Solís said while he’s not in contact with the Arayas, he does plan to meet with former president Abel Pacheco in upcoming days. Pacheco, a member of the Social Christian Unity Party, was the last non-PLN candidate to be elected president in Costa Rica. He led the country from 2002-2006.