With 9 percent of votes counted by the Supreme Elections Tribunal at 8:30 p.m. Sunday night, the ruling PLN candidate Johnny Araya had what seemed a commanding lead – 36.24 percent, followed by Citizen Action Party candidate Luis Guillermo Solís, with 22.8 percent. It was all downhill from there.
Centrist presidential candidate Luis Guillermo Solís will battle ruling party candidate Johnny Araya in an April runoff after Solís shocked many in this small Central American country by taking first place in preliminary results released late Sunday night.
SAN SALVADOR, El Salvador – A former leftist guerrilla narrowly missed victory in El Salvador's presidency race Sunday, and will now face a runoff vote with a conservative rival, according to official results.
Costa Rica's Supreme Elections Tribunal began releasing preliminary results in the country's presidential and legislative elections soon after 8 p.m. By 9 p.m. supporters of Citizen Action Party (PAC) candidate Luis Guillermo Solís had reason to celebrate, as the candidate who placed third or fourth in most of the country's polls showed a strong showing in the actual vote, moving into first place.
As the sun began to set on Costa Rica's 2014 elections, supporters lined the Inter-American Highway in San Pedro, east of San José, cheering wildly and honking their horns: Beep beep beep, BEEP. Beep beep beep, BEEP. Helicopters flew over. Car alarms sounded. Strangers smiled at each other, gave high fives and hugged, despite the colors of the flags they held. In Costa Rica, election time is also a celebration of democracy.
The morning opened up slowly on John F. Kennedy Road, the main artery through Escazú’s commercial sprawl, where modest traffic eased its way down the boulevard, and only a few flags waved from cars and buses.
Families lined up around the block at the National Stadium in western San José this afternoon for the Supreme Elections Tribunal’s official children’s election.
