Costa Rica en route to an unexpected presidential runoff

Barely 75 percent of ballots had been counted on Sunday evening when electoral courts in Costa Rica sent out the proverbial black smoke, indicating that the country’s presidential election would be going to a runoff. While the results threw up some surprises, the bottom line was that no candidate reached the minimum 40 percent of votes required to win, meaning the two best-voted contenders will face off in a runoff on April 3. 

Former President José María Figueres — who ruled the country between 1994 and 1998 — finished in first place with 27.2 percent of the votes, meaning that less than half a million people support his re-election. But the big surprise came in second place, where economist Rodrigo Chaves outstripped previous conservative favorites Fabrício Alvarado and Lineth Saborío.

The outcome ended up very close indeed, with just 35,000 votes separating Messrs. Chaves and Alvarado with 88 percent of ballots counted.

Also, despite a record number of candidates (25, in total), Costa Rica’s 2022...