Presidential candidate Fabricio Alvarado with the National Restoration party, speaks during a live, televised debate ahead of the presidential election, in San Jose, Costa Rica, Thursday, Feb. 1, 2018. Alvarado, a 43-year-old journalist with a prominent career as a preacher and Christian singer, has vaulted to leading contender in Sunday's vote in a survey published Jan. 31 by the University of Costa Rica and the Opol consulting firm.
Presidential candidate Fabricio Alvarado with the National Restoration party, speaks during a live, televised debate ahead of the presidential election, in San Jose, Costa Rica, Thursday, Feb. 1, 2018. Alvarado, a 43-year-old journalist with a prominent career as a preacher and Christian singer, has vaulted to leading contender in Sunday's vote in a survey published Jan. 31 by the University of Costa Rica and the Opol consulting firm. Arnulfo Franco AP Photo
Presidential candidate Fabricio Alvarado with the National Restoration party, speaks during a live, televised debate ahead of the presidential election, in San Jose, Costa Rica, Thursday, Feb. 1, 2018. Alvarado, a 43-year-old journalist with a prominent career as a preacher and Christian singer, has vaulted to leading contender in Sunday's vote in a survey published Jan. 31 by the University of Costa Rica and the Opol consulting firm. Arnulfo Franco AP Photo

World

Same-sex marriage a key issue as Costa Ricans elect leader

By JAVIER CORDOBA Associated Press

February 04, 2018 06:58 AM

SAN JOSE, Costa Rica

Costa Ricans voted Sunday in a presidential race shaken by an international court ruling saying the country should let same-sex couples get married.

Evangelical candidate Fabricio Alvarado recently vaulted into first place in the polls after he took a strong stance against gay marriage, which about two-thirds of Costa Ricans also oppose.

His closest rivals are agri-businessman Antonio Alvarez of the opposition National Liberation Party and Carlos Alvarado of the governing Citizens' Action Party.

But the outlook was cloudy because none of 13 candidates were polling at more than 17 percent and surveys indicated that more than a third of likely voters were undecided.

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If no candidate reaches 40 percent, the top two finishers advance to an April 1 runoff.

The January decision by the Inter-American Court of Human Rights has come to play a central role in the campaign. The court also ordered the country to grant same-sex couples rights such the ability to inherit estates and adopt children.

Political analyst Francisco Barahona told The Associated Press that it came as an "external shock" for Costa Rica, a majority Roman Catholic nation with an increasing evangelical population.

Fabricio Alvarado, a 43-year-old journalist, preacher and Christian singer, called the ruling a "sovereign violation" and saw his support balloon in the polls as socially conservative voters gravitated to that message.

Carlos Alvarado — no relation — is the only major candidate to openly back gay marriage and has picked up some support recently from socially liberal voters. A 38-year-old also trained as a journalist, he got his start in politics as communications director for Citizens' Action and also was labor minister under current President Luis Guillermo Solis.

Alvarez, a two-time president of the Legislative Assembly and a Cabinet minister under the first presidency of Oscar Arias in 1986-1990, says he opposes gay marriage but backs recognizing certain other rights for gay couples.

Voters will also be selecting the 57 delegates that make up the Assembly.

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