No menu items!

COSTA RICA'S LEADING ENGLISH LANGUAGE NEWSPAPER

HomeCosta RicaCosta Rica Presidential debate ends without a winner, analysts say

Costa Rica Presidential debate ends without a winner, analysts say

The debate “was of value for the minority candidates, but it was just a window, it was not defining moment for the voters. (…) We must consider that the last campaigns were defined at the end of the electoral process”, said Alejandro Molina, research assistant of the Observatory of National Politics (OPNA). 

The meeting, organized by the Supreme Elections Tribunal (TSE) and broadcasted by the state channel, Sinart, had the candidates divided in four groups which debated between January 9 and 12.

The election will take place on February 6 and the next debates, in a campaign with a record number of candidates, will have only those candidates that are leading in the polls and will be organized by private companies.

For political analyst Eugenia Aguirre, “the topics that raised the most interest were economic and corruption issues”.

Presidential Favorites

According to the last CIEP-UCR national survey carried out in December, former president José María Figueres, of the National Liberation Party (PLN), and former vice-president Lineth Saborío, of the Social Christian Unity Party, lead the voting, with 17.2% and 15.1%, respectively. This would put them face to face on a ballot in April. 

Figueres, president from 1994 to 1998, was accused by his opponents of having charged $900,000 dollars for a consultancy to the telephone company Alcatel when he was executive director of the World Economic Forum in Switzerland, and not declaring it.

His rivals accused him of not returning to the country for ten years, until the statute of limitations expired.

“Figueres and SaborĂ­o came to the debates knowing that the attacks were going to be concentrated on them and showed a conservative approach, not at an ideological one, but at a strategic one, in an attempt to come out with the least amount of damage possible”, analyzed Molina. 

The PLN and the PUSC are the two parties with the longest tradition in Costa Rica, before the ruling Citizen Action Party (PAC) broke, in 2014, a 32-year bipartisanship. 

The current ruling party candidate, Welmer Ramos, barely reaches 0.5% in the polls.

The other candidates that are in contention, according to CIEP-UCR, are Fabricio Alvarado (Nueva RepĂºblica), with 6.9%; JosĂ© MarĂ­a Villalta (Frente Amplio), with 6.8% and Rodrigo Chaves (Partido Progreso Social DemocrĂ¡tico), with 6.2%. None of the other 20 candidates exceeded 1.7%. 

Trending Now

Nicaragua Releases Prison Photos of Detained Doctor Amid US Demands

The government of Nicaragua published this Friday photographs in prison of a doctor with Costa Rican and Nicaraguan nationality, two days after the United...

Costa Rica Rental House Stories – From Doorknob Disasters to Gecko Guests

We’ve lived in a long line of rental properties over our time in Costa Rica. In sequential order, we started in a tiny apartment...

Activists Take to San Salvador Streets on Independence Day

As El Salvador celebrated 204 years of Central American independence with military parades, about 1,500 activists filled the downtown streets of San Salvador. They...

Costa Rica’s OIJ Captures Suspects in Roberto Samcam Murder

The Judicial Investigation Agency (OIJ) carried out multiple raids on Friday morning to capture suspects in the murder of Roberto Samcam, a former Nicaraguan...

U.S. Lists Costa Rica as Major Drug Transit Country

The U.S. government has placed Costa Rica on its annual list of major drug transit or production countries for fiscal year 2026. President Donald...

Costa Rica’s South Pacific Emerges as Prime Drug Route

Costa Rica's Judicial Investigation Agency flags the southern Pacific coast as the top spot for drug smugglers. Officials point to four main entry points...
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