The polls closed punctually at 6 p.m. at the Samara school. Parties packed up their tables and a few devoted party supporters sat around outside of the locked school, awaiting the results.
Throughout the district of Samara, other tables were set up at the schools of Santo Domingo, Terciopelo, Silencio, Barco Quebrado and San Fernando, as well as Garza.
Of the 13 parties on the ballot, the strongest support has been for National Liberation and Ample Front, followed by National Advancement. Avance Nacional Tables lined the front of the school supporting these three parties, as well as Social Christian Unity and Libertarian Movement. However, representatives of Social Christian Unity packed up their table around 3:30 p.m. and Libertarian Movement left around 4:30 p.m.
Traditionally, the strongest party in the area is National Liberation. Benigna Lopez Carrillo, substitute syndic for the canton of Nicoya, who was coordinating the party’s table in front of the school, said they had been there all day since 7 a.m. “People have supported but not like in other years. People don’t want to vote,” she remarked.
Regarding support for the party, she said it has decreased but she still feels the party holds first place. “I think that it is the party that helps the most. It’s better organized,” she said.
At the Ample Front table, Yendry Lopez, from Matapalo of Samara, explained that the coastal areas have become “yellow zones” (the party’s color) because the people identify with Jose Maria Villalta, presidential candidate, due to his support of coastal and maritime zone issues such as the Coastal Community Territories law project (TECOCOS).
Subsitute suplente legislative candidate Ricardo Arturo Guerrero Ureña, Ample Front, was present briefly at around 4 p.m., and Marco Campos Campos, substitute candidate for National Advancement was present periodically throughout the day.
The Voice of Guanacaste spoke with Campos at around 5 p.m., at which point the party was in third place in Samara. The candidate said he felt good, noting that they needed 15,000 votes throughout the cantons to gain a legislative seat. He estimated that they would receive 8 to 10,000 votes in the canton of Santa Cruz, where candidate Gerardo Brenes is well known for his social work. For example, Campos said they donated 320 wheelchairs to disabled people throughout the province in the process of the campaign.
For his part, Guerrero noted the participation and contentment shown by supporters of the Ample Front party, who were present in yellow T-shirts with banners and flags. He categorized this year’s elections as historical, noting that the traditional bipartisanism has ended and that people are “awakening from political apathy,” which he believes will benefit Costa Rica.
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