Carlos Alvarado Quesada, 38, will become the 48th president of Costa Rica, on May 8, 2018, winning the second round of elections with 60.79% of the votes against Fabricio Alvarado, who received 39.21%.
That was the officially announced by the president of the Tribunal Supremo de Elecciones (TSE) – Supreme Electoral Tribunal, Luis Antonio Sobrado, at 9 p.m., three hours after the voting closed.
With 95.04% of the tables counted, Carlos Alvarado (the PAC candidate) received 1,275,671 or 60.8%, while Fabricio Alvarado (the Restauración candidate) received 822,997 or 39.2%. Abstention low, 32.97% compared to 43.5% of the second round four years ago.
From the Parque del Lago hotel, Fabricio Alvarado admitted his defeat.
“We will continue to work so that the sun shines again in this country, wherever we are, we will continue to defend those principles that have made this country grear. Wherever we are will continue working to defend life. I congratulate Don Carlos Alvarado. I called him by phone immediately and I told him that he can count on to face the things that are stuck in this country, I send my respect to Don Carlos,” said Fabricio Alvarado.
Before giving the results, the president of the TSE said that this had not been an easy campaign, that the date (Easter Sunday) was not the best, but that the country overcame the challenges.
Moving forward
In the words of Otto Solis on Twitter, “This is a second chance for the PAC and we can not fail” in describing the win by Carlos Alvarado.
By 9 p.m. Sunday night the party was over. Carlos Alvarado will now have to face the crisis in public finances that threatens to raise the fiscal deficit from 6.1% to 8% of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP), in 2019.
At the same time, he will have the task of uniting the country, after three months of a deep polarization around same-sex marriage, abortion, sex education programs and the role of the Inter-American Court of Human Rights.
“The youth have asked that I not fail them, and I will fight not to fail,” said Carlos during his acceptance speech.
To resolve these fractures and combat the fiscal problem, Carlos Alvarado promised to build a “national government” and appoint a multiparty cabinet.
Carlos Alvarado, also promised to solve unemployment, insecurity, poverty, social inequality and the crisis in road infrastructure facing the celebration of the bicentennial of independence in 2021.
Changing Times
At 38 Carlos will become the youngest president of Costa Rica since the foundation of the Second Republic, in 1948.
This will also be the first time that the PAC forms a consecutive government, breaking the two-party paradigm of alternating governments between the Partido Liberacion Nacional (PLN) and the Partido Unidad Social Cristiana (PUSC) that had dominated Costa Rican politics for decades.
In addition, the PAC, under Carlos Alvarado’s leadership is close to reaching the figure of 1,338,321 votes obtained by President Luis Guillermo Solis, the highest vote in history, in 2014. In that second round election Solis ran unopposed, his challenger, Johnny Araya, having quit the presidential race, even though technically he could have been elected.
Also making history is the choice of Carlos Alvarado for his running mate, Epsy Campbell, who will become the first person of African descent to become first vice president of the country.
