Costa Rica elects populist conservative Laura Fernández as president : NPR

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Carlos Borbon/AP SAN JOSE, Costa Rica — Conservative populist Laura Fernández received Costa Rica's presidency, promising to proceed the aggressive reorienting of the Central American nation's politics began by her political sponsor, outgoing President Rodrigo Chaves.

Preliminary and partial outcomes confirmed the Costa Rican president's handpicked successor captured the win with a powerful first-round victory, eliminating the necessity for a runoff in a crowded subject after Sunday's election.

The Supreme Electoral Tribunal reported that with votes from 96.8% of polling locations tallied, Fernández of the Sovereign Folks's Celebration had 48.3% of the vote. Her closest challenger was economist Álvaro Ramos of the Nationwide Liberation Celebration with 33.4%.

Ramos conceded Sunday night time and pledged to guide a "constructive opposition," however one that will not let these in energy get away with something. Fernández won't be formally declared the winner till electoral officers full a handbook rely scheduled to start Tuesday.

"In democracy dissent is allowed, criticizing is allowed," he mentioned.

On Monday, Fernández mentioned that her biggest need as the subsequent president is to consolidate Costa Rica's growth to have the ability to higher face world challenges and to supply stable financial development.

"I hope that we will instantly decrease the flags of whichever political get together and begin working solely in favor of the Costa Rican flag," Fernández mentioned. "I consider the Costa Rican individuals count on nothing much less of us."

At the least 40% of the whole vote was required to win the presidential election within the first spherical.

Fernández campaigned on persevering with the insurance policies of the term-limited Chaves.

The traditionally peaceable Central American nation's crime surge lately was a significant concern within the marketing campaign. Some voters faulted Chaves' presidency for failing to convey these charges down, however many see a continuation of his confrontational type as one of the best likelihood for Costa Rica to tame the violence.

Fernández was beforehand Chaves' minister of nationwide planning and financial coverage and, extra lately, his minister of the presidency.

She was thought-about the frontrunner headed into Sunday's election.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio congratulated Fernández in a press release Monday. "Beneath her management, we're assured Costa Rica will proceed to advance shared priorities to incorporate combatting narco-trafficking, ending unlawful immigration to the US, selling cybersecurity and safe telecommunications, and strengthening financial ties," Rubio mentioned.

Costa Ricans additionally voted for the 57-seat Nationwide Meeting. Chaves' get together was anticipated to make good points, however maybe not obtain the supermajority he and Fernández referred to as for, which might enable their get together to decide on Supreme Court docket magistrates, for instance.

Twenty contenders had been in search of the presidency, however no candidate apart from Fernández and Ramos reached 5% within the preliminary and partial outcomes.

Some 3.7 million Costa Ricans had been eligible to vote.

4 years in the past, Chaves ran an outsider marketing campaign that carried him to victory over the nation's conventional events, although he had briefly served as economic system minister in a earlier administration. His framing of conventional events as corrupt and self-interested resonated in a rustic with excessive unemployment and a hovering price range deficit.