MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Costa Rica elects president and Legislative

Costa Rica, Central America's small but most stable country in the region will be casting ballots next Sunday to elect president, two vice presidents, 57 members of the Legislative Assembly and 81 municipal authorities.

With a 4.2 million population, 51.100 square kilometres and an economy based on tourism, banana, coffee, high technology investments and half a century of solid democratic institutions, Costa Rica has one of the highest per capita and human development indexes of the hemisphere.

However globalization and stagnation have exposed a list of challenges faced by Costa Rica among which an increase in poverty, law and order, rundown schools with a high percentage of dropouts, drugs and Latinamerica' special: graft and corruption.

According to the latest public opinion polls Peace Nobel Prize and former president 1986/1990 Oscar Arias, leader of the local Social democrats is leading and his main contender, (out of 14 hopefuls) is Otton Solis, a Social democrat dissident who formed a new party, Citizens Action.

Last Sunday on the final rally of the campaign Mr. Arias, 65, virtually proclaimed himself as the winner of the race, but his former Planning Minister Solis, also was confident of reaching the presidency. The elected president takes office next May for a four year mandate.

The electoral roll has 2.550.613 voters registered. Results should be available Sunday night.