— Reuters picSAN JOSE, April 2 — Carlos Alvarado Quesada, the candidate for Costa Rica’s center-left ruling party, is to become his country’s next president after an election run-off this morning against an evangelical preacher, according a near-complete vote count by electoral authorities. With about 90 percent of the votes counted, Alvarado, who had served in cabinet positions for the current president, Luis Guillermo Solis, had captured 60.6 percent, according to the country's

His opponent, Fabricio Alvarado Munoz, had been riding momentum based on his opposition to same-sex marriage and abortion and his stance on other social issues. The presidential candidate of the National Restoration Party, Fabricio Alvarado, Sunday acknowledged his loss in the second round presidential run-off vote, and congratulated his rival, Carlos Alvarado, for his overwhelming victory. Fabricio Alvarado rose from being a political unknown to the leading candidate in the election’s first round in February after he came out strongly against a call by the Inter-American Court of Human Rights for Costa Rica to allow same-sex marriage.
Pro-same-sex marriage candidate Carlos Alvarado of the Citizens' Action Party defeats conservative candidate Fabricio Alvarado of the National Restoration Party in the second round of voting to become the new President of Costa Rica.