Carlos Alvarado, a former cabinet minister from the ruling center-left Citizens' Action Party, has defeated Fabricio Alvarado, a conservative evangelical preacher who campaigned against gay marriage, to become Costa Rica's next president.

Why it matters: Fabricio Alvarado (the candidates aren't related) had been considered the front-runner, and the victory of an unconventional, anti-establishment candidate would have been a shock to the system in Latin America's oldest democracy. Instead, the center-left will remain in control in a country dealing with high unemployment and concerns over crime and corruption.