Conservative economist Rodrigo Chaves has won Costa Rica's presidential election.

The 60-year-old political outsider prevailed in Sunday's runoff with around 53 percent of the votes against former President José Maria Figueres.

At 57 percent, voter turnout was the lowest it had been in decades.

Observers attribute the lack of interest to the disappointment and anger of many voters at the political class, which has continued to grow as a result of the tense economic situation.

Tjerk Bruhwiller

Correspondent for Latin America based in São Paulo.

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Chaves was able to benefit from this mood.

Although he worked for the World Bank for years and was Minister for Economic Affairs for a short time under the current government, he knew how to present himself as a political outsider and appeal to the anger of many voters.

During the election campaign, he was combative and aggressive against the political establishment and the press.

He also appealed to many voters with his discourse against corruption in the country, which is seen as one of the biggest problems.

unemployment increased

Chaves thus stood in contrast to his opponent Figueres, who ruled Costa Rica between 1994 and 1998 and belongs to a family with strong roots in politics in the country.

Even the allegations of sexual harassment during his time at the World Bank, which Chaves repeatedly denied, could not harm him.

The Costa Ricans' desire for new faces and a fresh start was evidently greater.

Chaves shed his brash rhetoric for a moment on Sunday and called for unity.

"Let's put aside the party colors that divide us tonight," he told his supporters in the capital, San Jose, on Sunday evening.

He humbly asks to unite under the blue, white and red of the national flag.

When he takes office in a month's time, he will need the cooperation of other parties, particularly defeated Figueres' traditional "Party of National Liberation," which will remain the strongest force in Parliament.

Chaves' "Social Democratic Progressive Party" itself holds only ten of the 57 seats.

If he fails to get a majority together, he will bypass parliament through referendums, Chaves announced.

Chaves tried to play off his economic competence and experience.

Now he will have to prove it.

Even before the pandemic, the country was struggling with rising unemployment and inequality.

During the pandemic, Costa Rica's economic situation has continued to deteriorate.

The country has slipped further into debt.

In January 2021, the country agreed to around $1.8 billion in financial assistance from the International Monetary Fund, which is linked to austerity measures and tax reform to stabilize the budget.

However, the politically very fragmented parliament has made it impossible for the government to move forward with the necessary measures.