Divided over gay rights, Costa Rica to choose new president

Polling stations across Costa Rica opened early on Sunday for a presidential election that has split the country between an ultra-conservative evangelical preacher who slams gay rights and a former minister from the centre-left ruling party.

The result will decide who rules the small Central American nation of five million people for the next four years. Pre-vote surveys suggest a neck-and-neck race between Fabricio Alvarado, a rightwing 43-year-old preacher, journalist and singer, and Carlos Alvarado (no relation), a 38-year-old former journalist who was a labor minister in the outgoing government. Fabricio Alvarado surged from nowhere in the first round of the election held in February, triumphing over a field of 13 candidates by fiercely criticising gay marriage, reports AFP.

The Inter-American Court of Human Rights in January urged the recognition of same-sex marriages, setting off a polarising debate in Costa Rica. The country is both socially conservative and proud of its progressive human rights record. Carlos Alvarado, in contrast, ran on a broad campaign to tackle the priorities identified by his Citizens' Action Party, which has been in power since 2014 under outgoing President Luis Guillermo Solis.Those issues include reining in a steadily climbing deficit, boosting education and upholding ecological standards.