Costa Ricans at polls

Press, Volume CXIV, Issue 33450, 4 February 1974, Page 17

Costa Ricans at polls

(XZ.P.A.-Reuter—Copyright) SAN JOSE, Feb. 3. Costa Ricans are going to the polls today to elect a new President, 57 members of the Legislative Assembly, and 500 municipal councillors. For the first time in the Latin American country’s history, there are eight Presidential candidates instead of the usual two or three. Fragmentation of the Opposition favours the candidate of the ruling National Liberation Party, Mr Daniel Odtiber, 52, a lawyer, but the large field also threatens to prevent him from obtaining 40 per cent of the poll by 800,000 voters, thus requiring a probable run-off between the two leaders on April 7. The campaign has been noisy, but peaceful, aside from scuffles between rival

(Political partisans at scat-! Itered rallies. Mr Oduber, who lost ini 'the 1966 Presidential elec-1 itions, is hoping that the! I Costa Rican tradition of al-1 ;ternating parties in the Presidency will continue. . Since 1944, no single I T party has succeeded itself in > the top executive post. -i The outgoing President f[Jose Figueres has been accused by the Opposition of ■ abandoning the neutrality : stipulated by law to cam-! 5 paign for Mr Oduber. whose! , main rivals are Dr Fernando! J Trejos, aged 51, of the| 1 National Unification Party,| tjand Mr .Jorge Gonzalez, a ' I computer-business million-; Haire, aged 47, of the Nation-; »!al Independent Party. Lately, however, Mr Rodr-i igo Carazo, aged 43, an 1 . economist representing the | Renovation I; Party, has gained popularity.