Costa Rica's presidential candidates to face run-off

None of the 13 candidates in Costa Rica's presidential race succeeded in winning the required number of votes for an outright victory, leaving the two leading players facing a run-off in a few weeks' time, the electoral authority said late Sunday. According to preliminary results published by the country's Supreme Electoral Tribunal at about 8:00 p.m. local time (0200 GMT Monday), there was no outright winner in the first round as no candidate gathered more than 40 percent of the vote. Over three million Costa Ricans were registered to cast their ballots in the elections on Sunday to choose a new president to serve a four-year term, two vice presidents, and 57 deputies to the Legislative Assembly. Some 6,600 polling stations across the country opened at 6:00 a.m. local time (1200 GMT), and closed at 6:00 p.m. (2400 GMT). Full count for the elections will not be completed until Feb. 14, according to the electoral authority. Latest poll by the University of Costa Rica (UCR) showed the two front-runners in the presidential race, ruling National Liberation Party's (PLN) Johnny Araya and center-left Broad Front's (FA) Jose Maria Villalta - are likely to make a runoff slated for April 6.