Two names are on the ballot papers for Costa Ricas presidential election runoff, but now that the candidate of the governing conservative National Liberation Party (PLN) has effectively dropped out, the oppositions Luis Guillermo Solis Rivera seems certain to win. Mr Solis - the candidate of the centre-left Citizens Action Party (PAC) - surprised everyone by taking 31% of the vote in the first round of the election in a field of 13 candidates. Buoyed by his fierce attacks on President Laura Chinchillas scandal-ridden PLN government, Mr Solis took a dramatic lead in opinion polls which prompted the PLNs Johnny Araya to stop campaigning in March. Despite a lack of real competition, the history professor, former diplomat and father of six campaigned up to the last minute, in an attempt to secure a high turnout. There is no greater enemy to Costa Rican democracy than absenteeism, Mr Solis, 55, told supporters at one campaign rally. Its the worst thing that could happen to a president in this country with the oldest democracy in Latin America, that the president does not have a popular mandate. His election campaign promises work, progress and happiness, and has pledged not to raise taxes until he has restored what he says is Costa Ricans lost faith in government. Peace role Mr Solis was himself once a member of the governing party, and has held several cabinet posts in PLN administrations, before switching sides nine years ago. He left the PLN in 2005 after criticising irregularities in the partys internal elections, and joined the rival Citizens Action Party (PAC) soon afterwards. Horseback riders in Nosara, Costa Rica Ecotourism is a major source of income for Costa Rica, which is proud of its safety and political stability Previously, he was working as a foreign ministry official from 1986 to 1990, and played a key role in drafting a Central American peace plan brokered by Costa Ricas then-President Oscar Arias Sanchez, according to his website. Aimed at ridding the region of its frequent civil wars, the signing of the Esquipulas II Accords in 1987 by Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua won President Arias the Nobel Peace Prize. Since 1984, Mr Solis has also served in Costa Rican delegations to the United Nations, the Organisation of American States, the European Union and several other international bodies, according to his biography on the Election Tribunal website. The son of the owner of a small shoemaking business, Mr Solis has spent more than 30 years teaching and is also a visiting professor at the US universities of Michigan and Florida. BBC Monitoring reports and analyses news from TV, radio, web and print media around the world. For more reports from BBC Monitoring, click here. You can follow BBC Monitoring on Twitter and Facebook. More on This Story Country profiles: Latin AmericaOpen Foldout Antigua and Barbuda Argentina Bahamas Barbados Belize Bolivia Brazil Chile Colombia Costa Rica Cuba Dominica Dominican Republic Ecuador El Salvador Haiti Honduras Grenada Guatemala Guyana Jamaica Mexico Nicaragua Panama Paraguay Peru St Kitts and Nevis St Lucia St Vincent and Grenadines Suriname Trinidad and Tobago Uruguay Venezuela Related Internet links Costa Rican Presidency Costa Rican Legislative Assembly Foreign ministry Tourist board Around the BBC BBC Mundo BBC Weather The BBC is not responsible for the content of external Internet sites Share this page Share Facebook Twitter Print More Latin America & Caribbean stories RSS Luis Guillermo Solis, 4 April 2014Solis in Costa Rica one-horse race Costa Ricas Luis Guillermo Solis is set to win at least 77% of the presidential vote, following a one-horse race after his rival dropped out. 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Posted on: Mon, 07 Apr 2014 04:09:44 +0000
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