Costa Rica Elects Pro-Same-Sex Marriage President

Carlos Alvarado Quesada
Image by Luis Madrigal Mena (CC BY S.A. 4.0)

Carlos Alvarado Quesada has won Costa Rica’s presidential election besting evangelical conservative Fabricio Alvarado Muñoz in an election that found same-sex marriage front and center.

With 95% of the vote in, it is Alvarado Quesada with a landslide victory of 61 percent.

From The New York Times:

Mr. Alvarado Quesada will be sworn into office on May 8 for a four-year term leading a nation of about five million people that is celebrated as a popular tourist destination and recognized for its stewardship of the environment.

The complexion of the contest changed dramatically in January when the Inter-American Court of Human Rights ruled that its signatory nations, including Costa Rica, must legalize same-sex marriage. The court was established by the Organization of American States.

The judges’ decision came in response to a petition brought by Mr. Solís, the Costa Rican president.

The court, which is based in the Costa Rican capital, San José, also ruled that Costa Rica was obliged to extend property rights to same-sex couples.

Some countries in the region — including Argentina, Brazil, Colombia and Uruguay — have legalized same-sex marriage, though many others have not.