Q COSTARICA — Just weeks before the presidential elections, the ruling party’s candidate, Laura Fernández, of the Partido Pueblo Soberano, is very close to securing a first-round victory, according to the latest poll by Opol Consultores, released on Christmas Eve.
According to the study, Fernández has 39.45% of the intended vote, placing her less than one percentage point away from reaching the 40% of valid votes needed to avoid a runoff election in April.
In a distant second place is Álvaro Ramos, of the v, with 5.64%, followed by Ariel Robles, of the Frente Amplio, who registers 3.13% of the support.
The remaining candidates are distributed as follows: Fabricio Alvarado (2.98%), Natalia Díaz of Unidos Podemos (2.84%), Claudia Dobles of Coalición Agenda Ciudadana (2.63%), Juan Carlos Hidalgo of PUSC (2.49%), Fernando Zamora of PNG (1.52%), while the other candidates collectively account for 2.64%.
The poll also reveals that 33.77% of voters remain undecided, a factor that could prove decisive in the outcome of the election.
However, when analyzing only those who stated they had decided how to vote, Laura Fernández garners 62.3% of the support, far ahead of Álvaro Ramos, who would reach 8.91%, and Ariel Robles, with 4.94%.
The survey was conducted between December 19 and 22, with a sample of 3,241 people nationwide, a margin of error of ±2.11%, and a confidence level of 95%.