The polls were right and the former minister Rodrigo Chaves, from the Social Democratic Progress Party, was elected the new president of Costa Rica.
Chaves won 52.9% of the votes, against 47.1% for José María Figueres, of the National Liberation Party.
Despite calls for attention to Chaves’ confrontational behavior, the majority of the population, uncomfortable with the status quo, felt that Chaves’ defiant way of acting was more likely to change the situation of the country.
The former minister won just over a million votes and surpassed his opponent by more than 100,000 votes. Abstention was 42%, just 2% more than in the first round of elections.
Looking at the territorial distribution, Figueres managed to slightly outperform the opponent only in the provinces of San José and Cartago, while Chaves comfortably won in the remaining five provinces.
This result is related to the perception that the disruptor candidate clearly captured the common people’s rebellion against the elites, which polls have already recorded in recent years.
Of course, the rest of the political forces could have banded together to stave off the risk of the confrontational candidate’s victory, but their resentment towards Figueres prevented them from doing so.
In fact, none of the parties that managed to reach Parliament asked for a vote for the National Liberation Party, despite the fact that in the last week a considerable number of political personalities of different convictions have made statements against Chaves.
Everything indicates that the electoral base did not hear them. The two port provinces, Puntarenas and Limón, where Chaves scored poorly in the first round, have now given him his best results. It seems clear that voters from other parties have clearly turned to Chaves this time around.
The victory provoked immediate reactions of unease in sectors of the Costa Rican political class.
Leading a newly created party, without a known government team and willing to overcome the institutional obstacles that prevent facing the crisis, the new president is seen as the incarnation of uncertainty.
In turn, the feminist movement does not forgive the accusations of sexual harassment that Chaves faced when he was an employee of the World Bank.
On the eve of the elections, this rejection was reflected in several major US newspapers.
Chaves replies that this happened 14 years ago, that he was never formally convicted, that he learned his lessons and, above all, that it is not fair to condemn him forever.
In any case, it is clear that the majority of male and female voters, when voting, gave less importance to this issue than to the perception that Chaves will be able to face the status quo.
There are even observers who point out that the insistence on the subject ended up benefiting the candidate.
The well-known journalist Pilar Cisneros, currently a deputy elected by Chaves’ party, includes this questioning as one of the many personal attacks that the economist has faced.
On the other hand, an important, more conservative segment of Costa Rica, formed by religious sectors, seems to have expressed resentment towards the so-called “gender ideology” in the vote.
However, for many voices in cultural and political circles, this issue undermines Costa Rica’s international prestige as a standard-bearer for various humanist causes.
However, ordinary people’s Costa Rica seems to have other, more constant concerns, in addition to showing a liver that has become inflamed over time.
That’s why they chose the candidate who seemed to understand their discomfort best.
The other outstanding issue facing the new president concerns the ongoing investigation by the Superior Electoral Court. This is undeclared campaign funding.
If, at the conclusion of this investigation, the TSE finds evidence of electoral crime, it will have to transfer the case to the judicial system, which will initiate a process that may eventually impeach Chaves or some of his collaborators.
This is unlikely, but not impossible.
After learning about the results, in his first acceptance speech, Chaves significantly changed the tone of his speech.
He emphasized the need to respect current regulations and underscored collaboration and consensus with other political actors. A tone that contrasts with that of some of his followers that same election night, much more favorable to confrontation in different camps.
There is no doubt that the new president will travel a tortuous path, full of pressures, which, if maximized, could end up jeopardizing the stability of his government.
Upon hearing his first speech, it seems that the president-elect himself is aware of this.
It remains to be seen the veracity of his closing sentence: “Costa Rica, the best is yet to come!”. Especially considering that much of the country thinks otherwise.
Translation of Janaina Ruviaro da Silva
