The undated photo shows Oscar Arias, candidate of the National Liberation Party of Costa Rica. Costa Rica's Supreme Electoral Tribunal announced Tuesday that Oscar Arias won the presidential election with 664,551 votes of the approximately 1.6 million votes cast in the election. (Xinhua Photo)

SAN JOSE, March 7 (Xinhuanet) -- Nobel Peace Prize winner Oscar Arias won Costa Rican presidential election, the Supreme Electoral Tribunal announced Tuesday.

    The head of the Supreme Electoral Tribunal, Oscar Fonseca, announced Arias's victory with 664,551 votes of the approximately 1.6 million votes cast in the election.

    Candidates need at least 40 percent of the vote to be declared victory without facing a runoff.

    His main rival, candidate Otton Solis, of the Citizen's Action Party, obtained 39.8 percent with 646,382 votes.

    "From this moment forward, Oscar Arias has been declared officially elected as president of Costa Rica," Oscar Fonseca, thehead of the Supreme Electoral Tribunal, said at a news conference.

    

Costa Rica's newly-elected president Oscar Arias (C) held a press conference with his two vice presidents in San Jose, Costa Rica, March 7, 2006.  (Xinhua Photo)

Twelve other candidates also sought the presidency in an election that officials said had a 64 percent turnout, the lowest in the Central American country's history.

    Solis conceded Friday that Arias had won the ballot.

    Arias, 65, is to take office on May 8, succeeding Abel Pancheco.

    The Supreme Electoral Tribunal's announcement officially ended a month-long political impasse after the results of the Feb. 5 presidential election were contested by Solis's Citizen Action Party (PAC), forcing a manual recount of the ballots.

    Several hundred ballots were rejected because of voting irregularities or were determined invalid.

    Arias, 65, is a former president of Costa Rica (1986-1990) and was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1987. Enditem