Costa Rican Centrist Set for Election Win with No Rival

Voting was under way in Costa Rica on Sunday, where historian and former diplomat Luis Guillermo Solis faced no opposition in the country's presidential run-off election.

His lone rival in the race, Johnny Araya, dropped out last month after polls showed he would be soundly defeated, giving Solis a glide path towards victory in the election to lead this country of some five million people.

Polls throughout the country opened at 1200 GMT.

Araya was the candidate of the ruling National Liberation Party (PLN), which has fallen into disfavor because of alleged corruption and economic crisis under outgoing President Laura Chinchilla.

The recent scandals have weakened not just Chinchilla and the PLN, but also the two-party system in Costa Rica, Latin America's oldest democracy.

Power in this Central American country has traditionally been traded between the social democratic PLN and the Social Christian Unity Party (PUSC).

With his path wide open, Solis is set to become the first third-party candidate to win the Costa Rican presidency in 50 years.

As the candidate of the moderate Citizen Action Party, Solis, 55, was a surprise winner of the first-round vote on February 2 from a field of four.

His popularity continued to surge and by early March a poll showed him with nearly a 45 percent lead over Araya.

Solis's Citizen Action Party, formed to fight corruption and support better income distribution, is just 13 years old.

"The time has come for change," said Solis, who left the PLN in 2005 because of its embrace of neo-liberal policies, speaking in his closing campaign speech.

With his election a foregone conclusion, Solis's challenge in recent weeks was not so much to convince Costa Ricans to vote for him, as to persuade them to the ballot box at all.

"We're embarking on a very important moment for Costa Rica's democracy; I'm calling on the civic-mindedness of Costa Ricans," Solis told the press Sunday, asking citizens to vote early.

Araya, meanwhile, took to social media, calling on Costa Ricans to vote "with the best in mind" for the the country. The PLN has continued to appeal for Araya votes, if only "for dignity's sake."

"Anything can happen" Araya said, referring to the campaign, which has been full of surprises.

Although only one candidate is in the run-off, Araya's name remains on the ballot because the constitution prevents him from withdrawing.

Jose Ramirez, a 26-year-old restaurant employee, said the he hoped the election would bring "real change," and that he was voting for Solis "with the hope that he can end government robbery and govern for the people."

Assuming that Solis is elected Sunday to a four-year term, he will still have to deal with a politically diverse Congress in which his PAC party is second in strength behind the PLN.

"Solis has raised many expectations. If he succeeds in adopting a different style of leadership, with a greater openness to dialogue, he will have the political space to confront complicated problems," said sociologist Manuel Rojas.

Political analyst Jaime Ordonez said restoring confidence and uniting the country "will require intelligence, character and great serenity."

"We have reached a breaking point. Our entire state is designed for a two-party Costa Rica that no longer exists," he said.