2014 Election Blog: Costa Rica and El Salvador Head for Runoffs

By
Rachel Glickhouse

The February 2 votes in both Central American countries saw significant abstention rates with no candidate winning enough votes to avoid a runoff.

Costa Rica and El Salvador held presidential elections on February 2, though in both countries, abstention rates were significant and no candidate received enough votes necessary to avoid a runoff.

In Costa Rica, the largest percentage of voters chose no one: an estimated 31.69 percent abstained and stayed home on election day. Prior to the vote, polls had showed a large percentage of undecided voters, between 30 and 40 percent.

Meanwhile, the candidate who received the most votes came as a surprise: it was Luis Solís of the Citizens’ Action Party (PAC)—at 30.98 percent—who polled fourth. Johnny Araya of the governing National Liberation Party (PLN) came in second with 29.57 percent of the vote. Because no candidate received the required minimum of 40 percent, Solís and Araya will head to a runoff on April 6.

Solís won the interior and highlands—including San José, where Araya served as mayor—and Araya won the coasts, reports La Nación.

Meanwhile, José María Villalta of the Broad Front (or FA), who had been polling second, came in third with 17.13 percent. In his concession speech, he said: “Nobody said it was a race; our fight isn’t short-term. It’s a process of persuasion.”

 

 

Araya also admitted that his party has work ahead. “There’s no doubt that the electoral result shows us we still haven’t given sufficiently clear signs that we want to change direction,” said a tweet via his profile.

 

 

Solís, meanwhile, celebrated his unexpected first-place finish, writing on Twitter: “Costa Rica isn’t the same as it was before 6pm today.”

 

 

In El Salvador, a close race ended without a candidate receiving the minimum 50 percent. The governing Farabundo Marti National Liberation Front (FMLN)’s Salvador Sánchez Cerén came close, winning 48.92 percent. In a March 9 runoff he will face Norman Quijano of the Nationalist Republican Alliance (ARENA), who came in second with 38.95 percent.

Former President Antonio Saca of the UNIDAD coalition came in third with 11.44 percent, as this graphic from the Salvadoran electoral agency shows.

El Faro also provides a breakdown of the vote in this interactive graphic.

 

Sánchez Cerén celebrated his first-place finish, saying he would win by over 10 points in the second round. (Watch the video starting at 3:30:00)

 

 

Quijano asked for support in the second round, and noted that his party had done well under the circumstances—alleging that the FMLN and the electoral authorities were conspiring against him.

Saca conceded last night, recognizing the two other candidates’ victories in heading to a runoff.

 

 

Abstention rates ran high in El Salvador—between 45 and 50 percent. In a February 3 interview, Quijano said the real winner of the first round was abstention.

To see how the candidates are doing on social media, check out a report from La Prensa Gráfica.