2010 PRESIDENTIAL RACE
Chinchilla Holds Lead Over Guevara in Costa
Rica
(Angus Reid Global Monitor) - Laura
Chinchilla is a comfortable frontrunner
ahead of Costa Rica’s presidential election,
according to a poll by Borge & Asociados
published in Diario Extra. 36.7 per cent of
respondents would vote for the candidate of
the ruling Liberal National Party (PLN) in
next month’s ballot.
Otto Guevara of the Libertarian Movement
(ML) is far behind with 16.2 per cent,
followed by former economy minister Ottón
Solís of the Citizens Action Party (PAC)
with 8.5 per cent, and Luis Fishman of the
Social Christian Unity Party (PUCS) with 2.2
per cent. Support is lower for Óscar López
of the Party for Accessibility without
Exclusion (PASE) and Rolando Araya of
Patriotic Alliance (AP).
The PLN’s Óscar Arias won the February 2006
presidential election with 40.92 per cent of
all cast ballots. Solís finished in second
place with 39.80 per cent. Arias had headed
the government from 1986 to 1990, and was
able to run again after the Costa Rican
Legislative Assembly opted to bring back
presidential re-election in 2003. He was
sworn in for the second time in May 2006.
On Jan. 4, Solís commented on
voting-intention polls placing him behind
Chinchilla and Guevara, saying, "The polls
fail completely in predicting electoral
results in Costa Rica. The PAC is much
higher in terms of popular support; we feel
it in our tours."
Costa Ricans will vote in a general election
on Feb. 7. Under current regulations, a
presidential run-off would be required if
none of the presidential candidates garner
more than 40 per cent of the vote on
election day.
|
Laura Chinchilla (PLN) |
36.7% |
|
Otto Guevara (ML) |
16.2% |
|
Ottón Solís (PAC) |
8.5% |
|
Luis Fishman (PUSC) |
2.2% |
|
Óscar López (PASE) |
0.6% |
|
Rolando Araya (AP) |
0.5% |
|
Source:
Borge & Asociados / Diario Extra
Methodology: Interviews with 1,200 Costa
Rican adults, conducted from Nov. 31 to Dec.
14, 2009. Margin of error is 2.8 per cent.
|
