SAN JOSE: Costa Ricans vote for a successor to President Oscar Arias in general elections on Sunday, with a woman poised to become the Central American nation's first female head of state.
Pre-election surveys showed a strong lead for ruling National Liberation Party's Laura Chinchilla, a former vice president, over right-wing opposition candidate Otto Guevara and Otton Solis, from the center-left.
They have both accused her of being a puppet of Arias, and many see the elections as referendum on the legacy of the internationally-recognized former Nobel Peace Prize winner.
The leading candidate needs 40 percent of the vote to avoid a second round, which, if necessary, would take place on April 4.
Six others are also running in a race that will again test the popularity of the National Liberation Party (PLN), which has dominated politics in Costa Rica for the past six decades.
Rising insecurity is a key concern for voters in a country which prides itself on its stability in a region wracked by drug trafficking, gang violence and awash with guns from decades of civil wars.
Some 2.8 million inhabitants of the nation famed for its lush vegetation and fauna can vote for a new president, two vice presidents, as well as lawmakers and municipal leaders.
Almost 40 percent of the 57 parliamentary seats are currently occupied by women.
Polling stations are set to open from 6:00 am (1200 GMT) to 6:00 pm (0000 GMT).
First exit polls, of around 10 percent of the vote, are due two hours after closing.
Some 200 international observers, including members of the Organization of American States (OAS), are due to oversee the elections.
Thousands of children have been encouraged to take part in simultaneous mock voting under a project to promote democratic participation in Latin America's oldest democracy.
The new president is due to take over on May 8.
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