Amid the chronic bloodletting of Central America, Costa Rica stands out as an oasis of calm. But when the quadrennial presidential elections roll around, the country erupts into a celebration of its nearly century-old democracy that resembles nothing quite so much as a homecoming football game. Music blares, drivers honk, and flags decorate the streets. The Feb. 2 elections were no different. After more than 1 million voters went to the polls, Oscar Arias Sanchez of the ruling National Liberation Party emerged triumphant with 52.3% of the vote, defeating the Social Christian Unity Party's Rafael Angel Calderon Fournier, who claimed 45.7%...
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