Election results released in Costa Rica indicate former President and Nobel laureate Oscar Arias has won the country's presidential election.
The results, released Wednesday, show a narrow victory for Mr. Arias - about 18,000 votes separated him and challenger Otton Solis.
Electoral officials have yet to declare the winner, saying several election challenges must first be resolved.
Two weeks ago, the officials ordered a manual recount to determine the winner of the February 5 election.
The Supreme Election Council ordered the recount because too few votes separated the two leading candidates.
The result could have an impact on U.S. - Costa Rica relations. Candidate Arias favors the ratification of the Central American Free Trade Agreement with the U.S., while Solis opposes it.
Some information for this report was provided by AFP and AP.