SAN JOSE, Feb. 6 (Xinhua) -- Elections in Costa Rica began on Sunday to elect the president and a new National Assembly for the next four years.
The country's 6,767 polling stations opened at 6:00 a.m. local time (1200 GMT) for 3.5 million eligible voters, and 52 consulates around the world have opened to serve the 50,833 Costa Ricans registered to vote abroad.
The candidate of the National Liberation Party Jose Maria Figueres led in the polls with 17 percent, followed by the candidate of the Christian Social Unity Party Lineth Saborio with 12.86 percent, and the New Republic candidate Fabricio Alvarado with 10.27 percent, according to polls conducted by the University of Costa Rica, adding that about a third of voters were undecided five days before the elections.
Officials reminded voters to follow sanitary protocols such as wearing masks and maintaining social distancing to avoid the spread of COVID-19. ■
