Costa Ricans are casting their ballots in a run-off election Sunday, choosing between an anti-establishment outsider and former leader to be the next head of the Central American country as it grapples with debt woes and social discontent.
Final polling gave economist Rodrigo Chaves, a former longtime World Bank official, a slight lead over former President Jose Maria Figueres.
Chaves had 41% of support, while Figueres was seen with 38%, with many voters still undecided, according to a poll by the University of Costa Rica published Tuesday.
Chaves, who also briefly served as finance minister for outgoing President Carlos Alvarado, came second in an initial vote in February. Seen as a renegade, he has vowed to shake up the ranks of the political elite, even pledging to use referendums to bypass Congress to bring change.
Figueres, whose father was also president for three separate terms, campaigned on his experience and family political legacy. He has promised to lift post-coronavirus pandemic economic growth and boost green industries in the environmentally progressive nation.
Going into the election, some voters said they were lukewarm on both candidates, whose political careers have been tainted by accusations of wrongdoings.
Chaves faced allegations of sexual harassment during his tenure at the World Bank, which he denied. Figueres resigned as executive director of the World Economic Forum in 2004 amid accusations in Costa Rica that he had influenced state contracts with the telecoms company Alcatel, a case that was never tried in court.
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