|
Arias Remains Top Candidate in
Costa Rica
Former head of state Óscar Arias
Sánchez remains the favourite in
Costa Rica’s presidential
campaign, according to a poll by
CID-Gallup.
45% of respondents would vote
for Arias in next year’s
election.
In March 2004, Arias officially
announced his intention to run
for president again as the
candidate for the National
Liberation Party (PLN). The
Costa Rican Legislative Assembly
opted to bring back presidential
re-election in 2003. Arias
headed the government from 1986
to 1990.
Ottón Solís of the Partido
Acción Cuidanay (PAC) is second
with 20%, followed by Ricardo
Toledo of the governing Partido
Unidad Social Cristiana (PUSC)
with 10%, Otto Guevara of the
Movmiento Libertario (ML) with
8% and Antonio Álvarez Desanti
of the Union para Cambio (UPC)
with 6%.
Arias has advocated for the
ratification of the Central
American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA).
In September, Solís said the
proposed deal is "a menace" to
the country.
Solís came in third in the 2002
election that forced for the
first in Costa Rica's history a
second round vote that saw Abel
Pacheco elected, wiith 58% of
the vote.
Under Costa Rica's political
constitution, If no candidate
obtains more than 40 per cent of
all cast ballots, a run-off
between the top two candidates
would be held within 60 days.
Polling Data
What candidate would you vote
for in the next presidential
election?
| |
Nov.
2005 |
Oct.
2005 |
Jul.
2005 |
| Óscar
Arias (PLN) |
45% |
45% |
48% |
| Ottón
Solís (PAC) |
20% |
16% |
18% |
|
Ricardo Toledo (PUSC) |
10% |
14% |
13% |
| Otto
Guevara (ML) |
8% |
11% |
9% |
|
Antonio Álvarez Desanti (UPC) |
6% |
9% |
n.a. |
Source: CID-Gallup
Methodology: Interviews with
1,018 Costa Rican adults,
conducted from Nov. 22 to Nov.
25, 2005. Margin of error is
2.8%.
|
|
