Economist Rodrigo Chaves, a right-wing former finance minister, has won a runoff presidential election in Costa Rica amid rising unemployment and a soaring budget deficit. Chaves, whose ascent to the runoff race surprised many, won comfortably with 53 percent of the vote to centrist former President Jose Maria Figueres’s 47 percent, the Supreme Electoral Tribunal said on Sunday. Figueres, who …
Costa Rica is headed towards a presidential run-off, as preliminary results of Sunday’s election showed no candidate in a crowded pool of 25 contenders managed to win 40 percent of the votes. Costa Rica, with its green economy and booming tourism industry, has long been seen as a beacon of stability in the region, but polls have shown unemployment, corruption …
