Conservative populist Laura Fernández wins Costa Rican presidency, preliminary results show

SAN JOSE, Costa Rica (AP) — Conservative populist Laura Fernández won Costa Rica ‘s presidency, promising to continue the aggressive reorienting of the Central American nation’s politics started by her political sponsor, outgoing President Rodrigo Chaves.

Preliminary and partial results showed the Costa Rican president’s handpicked successor captured the win with a resounding first-round victory, eliminating the need for a runoff in a crowded field after Sunday’s election.

The Supreme Electoral Tribunal reported that with votes from 96.8% of polling places tallied, Fernández of the Sovereign People’s Party had 48.3% of the vote. Her closest challenger was economist Álvaro Ramos of the National Liberation Party with 33.4%.

On Monday, Fernández said that her greatest desire as the next president is to consolidate Costa Rica’s development to be able to better face global challenges and to produce solid economic growth.

“I hope that we can immediately lower the flags of whichever political party and start working only in favor of the Costa Rican flag,” Fernández said. “I believe the Costa Rican people expect nothing less of us.”

Ramos conceded Sunday night and pledged to lead a “constructive opposition,” but one that would not let those in power get away with anything. Fernández will not be formally declared the winner until electoral officials complete a manual count scheduled to begin Tuesday.

“In democracy dissent is allowed, criticizing is allowed,” he said.

At least 40% of the total vote was required to win the presidential election in the first round.

Fernández campaigned on continuing the policies of the term-limited Chaves.

Mario Camacho, a food delivery service driver from the capital’s south side, said Monday he had voted for Fernández to continue Chaves’ political program. “I think (Chaves’) administration has been good and I hope the new president can also help the poor and get rid of corruption,” he said.

The historically peaceful Central American nation’s crime surge in recent years was a major issue in the campaign. Some voters faulted Chaves’ presidency for failing to bring those rates down, but many see a continuation of his confrontational style as the best chance for Costa Rica to tame the violence.

Fernández was previously Chaves’ minister of national planning and economic policy and, more recently, his minister of the presidency.

She was considered the front-runner headed into Sunday’s election.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio congratulated Fernández in a statement Monday. “Under her leadership, we are confident Costa Rica will continue to advance shared priorities to include combating narcotrafficking, ending illegal immigration to the United States, promoting cybersecurity and secure telecommunications, and strengthening economic ties,” Rubio said.

Costa Ricans also voted for the 57-seat National Assembly. Chaves’ party was expected to make gains, but perhaps not achieve the supermajority he and Fernández called for, which would allow their party to choose Supreme Court magistrates, for example.

Twenty contenders were seeking the presidency, but no candidate other than Fernández and Ramos reached 5% in the preliminary and partial results.

Some 3.7 million Costa Ricans were eligible to vote.

Four years ago, Chaves ran an outsider campaign that carried him to victory over the country’s traditional parties, despite the fact that he had briefly served as economy minister in a previous administration. His framing of traditional parties as corrupt and self-interested resonated in a country with high unemployment and a soaring budget deficit.