On Feb. 7th, Costa Ricans will go to the polls to vote for their next President, two Vice-Presidents, and 57-member legislature. Elections in Costa Rica are held every four years. If one Presidential candidate does not get more than 40% of the vote, then there will be a second round, runoff election in April.

A president can run for a second term only if they sit out for at least two terms. The current President, Oscar Arias, has been President from 1986-1990 (when he won a Nobel Peace Prize) and this current term from 2006-2010.

The last election, in 2006, barely avoided a runoff vote. Oscar Arias won with 40.93% of the vote, and Ottón Solís came in a close second with 39.8% of the vote. Ottón Solís is running again for the upcoming election, as well as past candidate Otto Guevara.

Costa Rica ElectionThe polls currently show candidate Laura Chinchilla in the lead. Chinchilla is a member of the National Liberation Party, the current ruling party. She left her position as Vice-President under Oscar Arias in order to run for President. Chinchilla is the only female candidate and, if elected, she would be the first female President of Costa Rica.

Laura Chinchilla started her campaign with a steep lead in the polls, but that lead has been diminishing. In September, polls showed her leading with 63% of the vote. Currently, Chinchilla is shown to have 40% of the vote, while Otto Guevara, from the Libertarian Movement party is in a close second, with 30% of the vote. Guevara has been steadily gaining popularity since September, when he only had 13% support. Other candidates include Ottón Solís from the Citizens´Action Party and Luis Fishman from the Social Christian Unity Party.

Campaign topics have revolved around a few main issues, including international trade, safety, employment, the environment, and eliminating corruption in the government. The campaigns have become increasingly derisive, as campaign ads are attacking other candidates. See below for links to view some of these videos, and check back to this article as we update the election results.

Ottón Solís advertisement portraying Laura Chinchilla as marionette
Luis Fishman video of choir singing with dancing baby
Otto Guevara ad, "You don't have to walk naked..."

Update: Laura Chinchilla won the election with 47% of the vote.