Most of the polls conducted prior to the second round elections in Costa Rica, had candidate of the National Restoration Party (PRN) Fabricio Alvarado ahead of the game, however, the reality proved to be very different from what the polls predicted, and Fabricio received only 39.33% of the votes, vs. a 60.66 obtained by his opponent Carlos Alvarado.

When the presidential race began in Costa Rica, Fabricio Alvarado was an unlikely winner, in the first polls he came out with just about 3% of the voters’ support, however, he quickly gained a lot of supporters for his position opposing same-sex marriage and this allowed him to receive, along with Carlos, enough votes to make it through to the second round of elections.

The result of the second round took the candidate and many members of his team by surprise, they were expecting to get the victory, after all, that’s what most polls reflected.

What happened in the last two months that caused the Evangelical candidate to lose the elections?

1) Contradictions: Prior to the elections in February 4 he was adamant about taking Costa Rica out of the Inter-American Human Rights Court, but after that first round he changed his position and said “he was now clear that there were other options” and he would be respectful of the Courts’ opinion, but then, during a press conference he stated that he would consider eliminating the decree that regulates In Vitro Fertilization. He also affirmed at one point his intention of closing the National Women’s Institute and then he denied ever saying this.

2) Government Plan: The first government plan presented by the PRN was very limited, left out several areas, and in general very basic, this is perhaps logical considering that initially the party didn’t expect to have a chance to win the presidency; so after the first round, they came up with the Government Plan 2.0 a document that included proposals from many different advisers who had not supported Fabricio from the beginning; this “improved” plan was presented on the Wednesday before the elections.

3) Communication: The members of congress elected from the PRN party received a lot of heat from the press due to their lack of knowledge in regards to the political and legal system in Costa Rica, their lack of preparation and limited solid proposals; PRN’s solution to this was to ask them not to talk to the press until they were properly prepared. His team also asked the press to fill out a digital form to get an interview with Fabricio; the form needed to include all the topics that the journalist wanted to touch on.

4) Unfortunate Remarks: Francisco Prendas candidate for the vice-presidency of PRN stated during a radio interview that their party would much rather choose heterosexuals as members of his government (ministers or executive presidents in public institutions) than a homosexual person, to avoid “offending the majority of Costa Ricans”. Which is exactly what he ended up doing with this remark. Fabricio later stated that everyone’s rights would be respected.

5) Participation in Debates: Debates and interviews are always important in a political process, everyone knows that. Or maybe not. Fabricio pulled out of several debates and appearances that he had previously confirmed, one of them being the Debate at the University of Costa Rica and the Costa Rica Technology Institute. The first debates he took part on were filled with answers such as “we will have to analyze that” to avoid giving a straight response, he did improve in his participation later in the campaign.

The support he received from former presidents or candidates of the National Liberation Party (PLN) could have hurt more than it helped, since many voters saw this as a way for PLN figures to stay in control behind the scenes.

Finally, many Costa Ricans ended up seeing Fabricio as a big threat to the image of the country and the values that Costa Rica has always stood for as a country that defends Human Rights and is tolerant and respectful of minority groups.