Costa Rica's New President Has Promised to Legalize Gay Marriage

In a surprise victory, former fiction novelist and minister Carlos Alvarado Quesada has been elected president of Costa Rica, VICEreports.

He's previously promised to legalize gay marriage in the country, marking a major victory for the LGBTQ community, as his opponent, Fabricio Alvarado Munoz, had run on an anti-gay marriage campaign.

Munoz, an evangelical singer and pastor and former journalist, had a highly conservative agenda promising to restrict abortion rights for women.

Related | Costa Rica's President Introduces Common-Law Same-Sex Marriage Bill

"My duty will be to unite this government," Quesada stated during his acceptance speech, according to The Financial Times. "Go to sleep reassured because there is a result, a decision and now we'll unite to take this country forward."

Sunday's high voter turnout ave Quesada over 60% of the vote--a larger margin than had been expected based on previous public polls taken in the highly religious Latin country.