MADRID, Spain.- Economist Rodrigo Chaves, from the Social Democratic Progress Party (PSD), will be the new president of Costa Rica starting next May 8.
In the second round of elections In the presidential elections held this Sunday, Chaves won José María Figueres Olsen, of the National Liberation Party (PLN), with 52.9% of the vote.
Recognizing his defeat, Figueres stated: “Costa Rica has voted, and the people have spoken. As democrats that we are, we will always be respectful of that decision (…) I congratulate Rodrigo Chaves and wish him the best.”
For his part, the new president stated: “I send a message to José María Figueres and to all the people who voted for him. I congratulate him for his chivalry and I ask Don José and his party to work together”.
The newly elected president, who was accused of sexual harassment by World Bank employees between 2008 and 2013, when he worked for the entity, promised during his campaign to attack corruption for which he blames previous governments.
According to data from the Electoral Tribunal, in the first round of voting, held on February 6, no candidate obtained 40% of the votes required to hold office. While in this there was an abstention of 42.85%.
Faced with this situation, Chaves, who now becomes the 49th president-elect of Costa Rica, pronounced: “The tough campaign we are experiencing unfortunately turned abstentionism into the largest political party in Costa Rica. This is a sad reality that we must understand and accept. This does not mean that the compatriots who did not go to the polls do not love Costa Rica or its democracy. They are probably the most critical and concerned about the future of the country who wanted to shake the conscience of the ruling class in an exercise in authentic democracy”.
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