Costa Rica is today heading to the polls to decide the country’s next President – and an anti-gay pastor who based his campaign on opposing same-sex marriage is tipped for victory.
The Central American country’s Presidential battle has been largely defined by a battle over same-sex marriage, with fringe evangelical Fabricio Alvarado Muñoz receiving a surge in support after running an aggressive anti-gay marriage campaign – besting a string of traditional candidates to make the run-off against centrist candidate Carlos Alvarado Quesada.
Alvarado Muñoz has vowed to withdraw Costa Rica from a pan-American human rights treaty that could require it to provide legal recognition to same-sex couples, while his opponent says the country should respect the human rights of LGBT people.
Ahead today’s run-off election between the two candidates, polling suggests that Alvarado Muñoz has built a lead.
Every major opinion poll in March showed Alvarado Muñoz ahead, with a 7-point lead over his opponent.
The key to the election will likely be voters who backed other candidates in other rounds, with a massive 35 percent still undecided between the two or not planning to vote.
Polls opened at 6 AM local time today as the country heads out to vote in the Easter Sunday showdown between the pair.
A winner not expected to be announced until Monday at the earliest.
The battle over LGBT rights has become dominant after the Inter-American Court of Human Rights ruled that Costa Rica was violating human rights protections by preventing same-sex couples from marrying.
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