Leftist seen easily winning Costa Rica presidency after rival pulls out
Leftist seen easily winning Costa Rica presidency after rival pulls out
Alexandra Alper
Reuters
3:09 a.m. EDT, April 6, 2014
SAN JOSE (Reuters) - A center-left academic who has never been elected to office is expected to easily win Costa Rica's presidential election run-off on Sunday, after his ruling party rival unexpectedly ditched his bid last month.
Luis Guillermo Solis, a former diplomat, rode a wave of anti-government sentiment over rising inequality and corruption scandals to finish ahead in a first round of voting in February, surprising pollsters who had placed him fourth.
Facing a depleted war chest, his ruling party rival Johnny Araya then quit campaigning after an opinion poll showed him trailing badly.
Solis has promised to fight Costa Rica's stubbornly high poverty rate while stamping out corruption, an issue that has dogged President Laura Chinchilla's administration.
More:
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/nationworld/sns-rt-us-costa-rica-election-20140406,0,7015839.story