MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Costa Rica presidential runoff between evangelical preacher and ex minister

While both have a common background in music: Alvarado is Pentacostal singer and Alvarado Quesada sang in a rock band — their politics are very different.

Costa Rica’s presidential election is headed to a runoff after no candidates secured enough votes to win outright. The top vote-getter, evangelical preacher Fabricio Alvarado, is expected to face his closest opponent, Carlos Alvarado Quesada, a former labor minister, April 1. Alvarado won nearly 25% of votes on Sunday to Alvarado Quesada’s 22%.

 While both men have a common background in music — Alvarado is Pentacostal singer and Alvarado Quesada sang in a progressive rock band — their politics are very different. The former is a right-wing opponent of same-sex marriage, while the later is considered center-left supporter of same-sex marriage who campaigned on bolstering the governing party.

The issue of marriage rights became a focus of the campaign after an international court ruled four weeks ago it should be legalized.

Alvarado said he would withdraw Costa Rica from the Inter-American Court of Human Rights should be be elected. “People said, ‘This is the person that I want to defend us in the face of international impositions,’” he said.

Eleven other candidates were eliminated in the first round of voting.