Costa Rica elects populist conservative Laura Fernández as president : NPR

Presidential candidate Laura Fernández speaks to supporters after the close of voting in San José, Costa Rica, on Sunday.

Carlos Borbon/AP

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Carlos Borbon/AP

SAN JOSÉ, Costa Rica — Conservative populist Laura Fernández has won Costa Rica’s presidency, promising to continue the aggressive reorientation of the Central American nation’s politics begun by her political godfather, outgoing President Rodrigo Chaves.

Preliminary and partial results showed the Costa Rican president’s hand-picked successor cruised to victory with a resounding first-round victory, eliminating the need for a packed runoff after Sunday’s election.

The Supreme Electoral Tribunal reported that with 96.8% of votes cast at polling stations, Fernández of the Sovereign People’s Party obtained 48.3% of the vote. His closest opponent was the economist Álvaro Ramos, of the National Liberation Party, with 33.4%.

Ramos conceded Sunday night and pledged to lead a “constructive opposition” but one that would not let those in power get away with it. Fernández will not be officially declared the winner until election officials complete a hand count that is scheduled to begin Tuesday.

“In a democracy, dissent is allowed, criticism is allowed,” he said.

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

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

At least 40% of the total votes were needed to win the presidential election in the first round.

Fernández campaigned to continue Chaves’ term-limited policies.

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

Fernández previously served as Chaves’ minister of National Planning and Economic Policy and, more recently, his minister in the presidency.

She was considered the favorite ahead of Sunday’s elections.

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

Costa Ricans also voted for all 57 seats in the National Assembly. Chaves’s party is expected to make progress, but perhaps not reach the supermajority he and Fernández have been calling for, which would allow their party to choose Supreme Court justices, for example.

Twenty candidates ran for president, but no candidate other than Fernández and Ramos received 5% in preliminary and partial results.

Some 3.7 million Costa Ricans were eligible to vote.

Four years ago, Chaves ran a foreign campaign that carried him to victory over the country’s traditional parties, despite briefly serving as economy minister in a previous administration. His portrayal of traditional parties as corrupt and self-serving resonated in a country where unemployment is high and the budget deficit is soaring.