Q COSTA RICA – Rodolfo Piza will once again lead the Partido Unidad Social Cristiana (PUSC) into the next presidential elections, to be held in February 2018.
With a majority of votes from within his party, the former president of the Caja Costarricense del Seguro Social (CCSS) – from 1998 to 2002 – beat out Rafael Ortiz for the nomination.
Piza ran in 2014, obtaining only 6% of the vote, after taking over the campaign when the PUSC chosen candidate, Rodolfo Hernández, quit.
Rodolfo Piza Escalante is the third confirmed 2018 presidential candidate. The other two are, Rodolfo Hernández, who is running for the Republicano party and Antonio Álvarez Desanti for the Partido Liberación Nacional (PLN), both confirmed by their respective internal party elections.
The ruling party, the Partido Acción Ciudadana (PAC), will be holding its internal elections on July 9. Former ministers Carlos Alvarado and Welmer Ramos, are the only two declared candidates at this time.
For the Frente Amplio, legislator Edgar Araya is expected to be ratified by the party’s national assembly, meanwhile, at the Movimiento Libertario, perennial presidential candidate Otto Guevara will be facing a challenge by Natalia Diaz.
Juan Diego Castro will be looking to take the presidential chair, backed by the Partido Integracaion Nacional (PIN).
A sitting President is constitutionally prohibited from running for a consecutive re-election.
