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Angus Reid Global Monitor : Polls & Research
Arias Headed for New Term in Costa Rica
(Angus Reid Global Scan) - Óscar Arias Sánchez could once again win the presidential election in Costa Rica, according to a poll by Demoscopia published in Al Día. 45.5 per cent of respondents would support Arias in next Sunday's ballot.
In March 2004, Arias officially announced his intention to run for president again as the candidate for the National Liberation Party (PLN). The Costa Rican Legislative Assembly opted to bring back presidential re-election in 2003. Arias headed the government from 1986 to 1990.
Ottón Solís of the Citizens Action Party (PAC) is second with 24.1 per cent, followed by Otto Guevara of the Libertarian Movement (ML) with 15 per cent, Antonio Álvarez Desanti of the Union for Change (UPC) with 5.4 per cent, José Manuel Echandi of the National Union Party (PUN) with 3.2 per cent, and Ricardo Toledo of the governing Social-Christian Unity Party (PUSC) with 2.5 per cent.
On Jan. 27, Solís criticized Arias for refusing to hold a one-on-one presidential debate in the last week of the campaign, saying, "I want to show the people that a group has governed for the past 20 years and has offered privileges to specific sectors, forgetting peasants and provoking the collapse of the middle class."
The PUSC's Abel Pacheco was elected in a run-off in April 2002 with 58 per cent of the vote. The election is scheduled for Feb. 5. If no candidate garners more than 40 per cent of all cast ballots, a run-off would take place on Apr. 2.
Polling Data
If the presidential election took place today, which candidate would you vote for?
Jan. 2006 | Dec. 2005 | Aug. 2005 | |
Óscar Arias (PLN) | 45.5% | 46.2% | 36.5% |
Ottón Solís (PAC) | 24.1% | 21.5% | 10.6% |
Otto Guevara (ML) | 15.0% | 13.0% | 6.7% |
Antonio Álvarez Desanti (UPC) | 5.4% | 8.4% | 10.4% |
José Manuel Echandi (PUN) | 3.2% | 4.7% | -- |
Ricardo Toledo (PUSC) | 2.5% | 4.8% | 5.4% |
Source: Demoscopia / Al Día
Methodology: Interviews with 1,200 Costa Rican adults, conducted from Jan. 16 to Jan. 21, 2006. Margin of error is 2.8 per cent.