Costa Rica, a beacon of stability in Central America that is battling a surge in violence related to drug trafficking, goes to the polls on Sunday in elections that are expected to bring a tough-on-crime right-winger to power. Laura Fernandez, the 39-year-old candidate of outgoing President Rodrigo Chaves’s party, is the runaway favorite to become the next leader of the country flocked to by tourists for its sandy beaches, especially from the United States. Story by Simon Moritz.