Costa Rica: Runoff elections April 1 /update 2

Event

A second round of presidential elections is scheduled to be held in Costa Rica on Sunday, April 1. The first round, held on February 4, occurred without major incident; similar circumstances are likely during the run-off.

The two leading contenders from the February 4 vote - Fabricio Alvarado Munoz (National Restoration Party) and Carlos Alvarado Quesada (Citizen Action Party) will move on to the second round, with 24.7 percent and 21.6 percent of the vote, respectively. Alvarado Munoz, the current favorite, is an evangelic Christian and one of his main campaign platforms has been to bar gay marriage in the country and roll back progressive policies introduced by the center-left government of current President Luis Guillermo Solis.

Political rallies and protests (e.g. in favor of gay rights and abortion rights), as well as associated traffic disruptions, are possible in the run-up to the April 1 election, as well as following the announcement of the election results. Political violence, while relatively unlikely, is also possible.

Advice

Individuals in Costa Rica are advised to monitor developments to the situation, avoid all demonstrations and political rallies as a precaution, and adhere to any instructions issued by the local authorities.