Costa Rica leader: U.S. trade deal passes

Costa Ricans on Sunday appeared to narrowly vote in favor of joining the Central American Free Trade Agreement with the U.S., and President Oscar Arias declared victory for the pact. But with results so far contradicting most earlier polls, the opposition balked at conceding before a manual recount.

With 89 percent of the precincts reporting, nearly 52 percent of votes backed the agreement, which sharply divided the country between those arguing it would bring continued economic development and critics who feared it could hurt farmers and small businesses.

"Costa Rica's people have said 'yes' to the treaty, and this is a sacred vote," Arias said.

But Eugenio Trejos, the leader of the pact's opposition, said he would not recognize the results and vowed to wait for a manual recount scheduled to begin Tuesday.

"The people have spoken, and the achievements we have obtained won't be lost," he said. "That's why we will wait for the ballot-by-ballot recount."