No menu items!

COSTA RICA'S LEADING ENGLISH LANGUAGE NEWSPAPER

HomeElection DayHow popsicle sales predicted Costa Rica's election result

How popsicle sales predicted Costa Rica’s election result

Sunday’s surprising landslide in favor of Carlos Alvarado in Costa Rica’s presidential elections confounded many pollsters, a majority of whom had shown a neck-and-neck race or an advantage for conservative candidate Fabricio Alvarado. (Much-criticized pollsters from the Universidad Nacional in Heredia, showing a significant lead for Carlos, had the last laugh.)

However, one unusual method proved surprisingly accurate: the sale of popsicles in the party colors by Costa Rican brand Los Paleteros.

The chain offered red-and-yellow #ChurchiPAC popsicles and blue-and-yellow #ChurchiPRN popsicles in honor of the Citizen Action and National Restoration parties. The sale of the political ices, based on the brand’s popular Churchilletas – based, in turn, on the classic Puntarenas shaved ice, syrup, powdered and condensed milk treat –produced the result seen above, much closer to the actual vote count.

While the final vote count is still underway, Carlos Alvarado was announced on Sunday night to have received 60.7 percent of the vote, over 39.3 percent for Fabricio Alvarado, with  90.6 percent of votes recorded.

The kids’ poll was also quite accurate:

Los Paleteros' children's vote results in Costa Rica.
Los Paleteros via Facebook

See below for a video about the silly process, and if this story has you thirsting for a classic Churchill, read more here.

https://www.facebook.com/lospaleteroscr/videos/1429804227125562/

Trending Now

IKEA Begins Costa Rica Rollout: Start Practicing Your Allen Wrench Skills Now

IKEA is moving closer to opening in Costa Rica, and the country’s future furniture shoppers may want to start getting familiar with flat-pack boxes,...

Costa Rica Extradites Canadian Fugitive Hiding in Tamarindo

A Canadian man wanted in connection with a major drug and firearms case in British Columbia has been extradited from Costa Rica after several...

Costa Rica Weekend Weather: Drier Friday and Saturday, Stormier Sunday

Costa Rica will get a short break from widespread rain this weekend before Tropical Wave No. 10 moves in on Sunday and raises the...

Costa Rica Braces for a Wet Weekend as Forecasters Watch a Possible Tropical System

Costa Rica is heading into a rainy, unstable weekend, with the National Meteorological Institute (IMN) warning Saturday that a low-pressure system sitting over Pacific...

Costa Rica’s Crucitas Gold Crisis Deepens as Illegal Mining Spreads

Costa Rica is facing one of its most difficult environmental and security tests in years as illegal gold mining spreads through Crucitas, a remote...

US Restricts Visas for Nicaraguan Officials After Brooklyn Rivera’s Death

The US State Department announced Monday that it will restrict visa access for over 100 Nicaraguan officials and their family members following the death...

Costa Rican Chorreador Reaches Pope Leo XIV in Gift Rooted in Coffee Tradition

A Costa Rican chorreador, one of our country’s most familiar coffee brewers, has reached an unlikely destination: the hands of Pope Leo XIV. The...

Costa Rica’s Forgotten WWII Role Echoes on D-Day’s 82nd Anniversary

Eighty-two years ago today, roughly 160,000 Allied troops landed in Normandy, France, launching Operation Overlord to liberate German-occupied Western Europe — the single day...

Two Costa Rica Hotels Named in Oprah Daily’s 2026 Hotel O-wards

Two Costa Rica hotels have been named among Oprah Daily’s 2026 Hotel O-wards, placing Hacienda AltaGracia, Auberge Collection, and Lamangata Luxury Surf Resort on...
🌴 The Weekly Pura Vida

Costa Rica, Once a Week

The week's top stories, weather & insider tips — delivered every Sunday. One email, zero clutter.

🔒 Free. No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.

Loading…

Latest News from Costa Rica

Costa Rica Coffee Maker Chorreador
Costa Rica Car Rentals
Costa Rica Travel Insurance
Costa Rica Travel