In a country known for ecotourism and peace and stability in troubled regions, Costa Rica’s presidential campaign has been unusually negative.

Neither Rodrigo Chavez nor rival Jose Maria Figueres has broad support among voters ahead of Sunday’s presidential runoff. They received less than half of the votes in the first round in February. Turnout was low by the country’s standards.

Chavez, a former World Bank official accused of sexual harassment by multiple former colleagues, has a slight edge over former President Figueres, who stepped down as WEF executive director Alcatel-Lucent in 2004 over scrutiny of telecom payments . Both have denied wrongdoing.

“[Voters] Jorge Vargas Cullell, director of the Costa Rica Research Center Programa Estado de la Nación, said. “It’s not a campaign with a lot of enthusiasm.”

A recent poll put Chavez at 41 percent and Figueres at 38 percent, a narrowing margin of error. University of Costa Rica Center for Political Science???? (CIEP). Large numbers of undecided voters, especially women and young people, could also swing votes in either direction.

CIEP researcher Jesús Guzmán Castillo said that in the second round of the campaign, “the negativity and lack of policy were so evident, we saw very grotesque advertisements”. “That means a lot of people are not motivated to go out and vote.”

An ad that appeared on social media likened those who voted for Chávez to people jumping from buildings, sparking outrage over his depiction of suicide.Figueres’ campaign says it did not make or endorse the ad.

Whoever wins will have to cut the deficit under a deal with the International Monetary Fund, tackle high unemployment and inflation, while dealing with a divided Congress and voters disillusioned with traditional parties.

Chavez worked at the World Bank for more than 25 years, ultimately managing its Indonesia office. Multiple female colleagues said he made unwelcome sexual comments, asked about personal relationships and tried to kiss them while at the bank, according to an administrative tribunal ruling by the agency.

The bank later apologized to the women Mishandling of sexual harassment claimsThe court ruling showed that shortly before Chavez left the agency, he was demoted and his access to the premises was later restricted.

Figueres was president from 1994 to 1998 but scored poorly among voters corruption. He is being investigated by prosecutors for paying Alcatel-Lucent more than $900,000 for consulting work after his departure. He lived abroad during the investigation and did not return until prosecutors dropped the investigation. No charges were ever brought.

Both candidates who declined interview requests had previously denied wrongdoing.

Both Figueres and Chávez have vowed to renegotiate a deal with the International Monetary Fund last January for a $1.8 billion line of credit. The country is running a deficit of more than 5% of GDP by 2021 and has a growing debt burden.

Economist and former central bank governor Ronolfo Jimenez said if elected they would face the difficult task of trying to reduce budget deficits as they grow weary of the measures.

“Who wins, no matter what they think . . . reality bites and Costa Rica needs to abide by its agreement with the fund,” he said. “Politically, it’s getting harder and harder to comply with fiscal rules.”

On paper, the two broad centrist candidates both studied in the United States and appear to be financially orthodox. Figueres highlighted his experience, while Chavez, who has lived abroad for most of his career, positioned himself as a candidate for change.

Both candidates are seen as particularly close to the private sector, although some economists and business leaders have raised concerns about Chavez as a little-known entity. He has briefly served as finance minister in this government, but it is unclear who he will choose for his economic team if elected.

“One of the challenges is how to generate more private investment . . . create more jobs and really bring down the high unemployment rate,” said economist Fernando Naranjo, who served in Figueres’ previous administration and Member of the board of companies in the tourism and agricultural sectors.

One of the most peaceful democracies in Central America, Costa Rica is a haven for those fleeing authoritarianism in Nicaragua, and its per capita GDP is more than three times that of El Salvador or Honduras.

Despite relative stability, inequality has increased and ties to traditional parties have declined. Outgoing President Carlos Alvarado will reportedly end his tenure as one of Latin America’s most unpopular leaders. CID Gallup Poll. Pandemic economy recovers better than expected, but unemployment remains high . 13%.

For Costa Rica to pass much-needed reforms such as pensions and the health system, the winner of Sunday’s runoff must be ready to accept this new reality and work with others, Vargas Cullell said.

Neither candidate’s party will secure a majority in Congress. Figueres’ National Liberation Party won 19 of 57 seats in the most recent vote, while Chávez’s Social Democratic Progressive Party won 10.

“They are weak candidates, they have [congressional] Minorities, unloved by voters,” Vargas Kuller said. “The risk is that neither side understands that governing in Costa Rica today means pure coalition politics. “