2002 Costa Rican general election

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2002 Costa Rican general election
Flag of Costa Rica (state).svg
  1998 3 February 2002 (2002-02-03) (first round)
7 April 2002 (2002-04-07) (second round)
2006  
Presidential election
Turnout68.84% (first round) Decrease2.svg 1.15pp
60.22% (second round)
  Defense.gov News Photo 050511-D-9880W-053 (cropped).jpg Rolando Araya cropped.jpg
Nominee Abel Pacheco Rolando Araya
Party PUSC PLN
Popular vote776,278563,202
Percentage57.95%42.05%

Resultados 2002 Presidente.svg
Resultados 2002 Segunda ronda.svg

President before election

Miguel Ángel Rodríguez
PUSC

Elected President

Abel Pacheco
PUSC

Parliamentary election

All 57 seats in the Legislative Assembly
29 seats needed for a majority
PartyLeader%Seats+/–
PUSC Abel Pacheco 29.7819−8
PLN Rolando Araya Monge 27.1017−6
PAC Ottón Solís 21.9614New
PML Otto Guevara 9.346+5
PRC Justo Orozco 3.5910
This lists parties that won seats. See the complete results below.
Elecciones legislativas de Costa Rica de 2002 - Diputados por Provincia.svg
Results by province

General elections were held in Costa Rica on 3 February 2002. [1] For the first time in the country's history, no candidate in the presidential election passed the 40% threshold. [2] This meant a second round of voting had to be held on 7 April which saw Abel Pacheco of the Social Christian Unity Party defeat the National Liberation Party's Rolando Araya Monge. [3]

Contents

Many analysts consider this election the beginning of the end of Costa Rica's decades-long two party system. [4] [5] [6] For the first time in many years alternative political forces become really relevant in the Parliament and the plenary had three large party groups; PUSC (19), PLN (17) and PAC (14). [7]

While PUSC won the presidential election and the majority in Congress, PLN became the primal opposition force in Parliament. Centre-left PAC with a progressive proposal seem to had gravely affected traditional third forces at the left of the spectrum like Democratic Force that fail to win any seat on that election even when for some years was Costa Rica's main third party. [7] Right-wing Libertarian Movement also increases its representation from one to six deputies [7] while conservative [8] Costa Rican Renewal Party won one seat as usual. [7]

It was the first time in Costa Rica an evangelical Christian party, the Christian National Alliance, nominated a catholic, biologist and professor Marvin Calvo Montoya, as its presidential candidate. It was also the last presidential election of the Christian National Alliance.

Despite the close contest, voter turnout was only 69% on 3 February the lowest since the 1958 elections. For the second round of the presidential elections it fell to 60%, the lowest since 1949. [9]

Background

Before the election, the country's Supreme Electoral Tribinal attempted to make several reforms to the electoral system. These included allowing independents to run in local elections, using electronic voting machines, allowing Costa Ricans living abroad to vote, and allowing voters to choose the top two places on parliamentary lists. [2] However, the changes were rejected by the Legislative Assembly, which noted that independent candidature was incompatible with the constitution, and that electronic voting could not be guaranteed to be secure or transparent. [2]

Results

President

CandidatePartyFirst roundSecond round
Votes%Votes%
Abel Pacheco Social Christian Unity Party 590,27738.58776,27857.95
Rolando Araya Monge National Liberation Party 475,03031.05563,20242.05
Ottón Solís Citizens' Action Party 400,68126.19
Otto Guevara Libertarian Movement 25,8151.69
Justo Orozco Álvarez Costa Rican Renewal Party 16,4041.07
Walter Muñoz Céspedes  [ es ] National Integration Party 6,2350.41
Vladimir de la Cruz  [ es ] Democratic Force 4,1210.27
Jorge Walter Coto Molina  [ es ] Coalition Change 2000 3,9700.26
Rolando Angulo Zeledón General Union Party  [ es ]2,6550.17
Daniel Reynolds Vargas National Patriotic Party  [ es ]1,6800.11
Marvin Calvo Montoya Christian National Alliance Party  [ es ]1,2710.08
José Hine García  [ es ] National Rescue Party 9050.06
Pablo Galo Angulo Casasola Independent Workers' Party  [ es ]8010.05
Total1,529,845100.001,339,480100.00
Valid votes1,529,84597.481,339,48097.56
Invalid votes32,3322.0627,4572.00
Blank votes7,2410.466,0060.44
Total votes1,569,418100.001,372,943100.00
Registered voters/turnout2,279,85168.842,279,85160.22
Source: Election Resources

By province

First round

Province  % PUSC  % PLN  % PAC  % ML  % PRC  % PIN  % FD  %Other %
Bandera de San Jose (Costa Rica).svg  San José 36.628.531.11.60.80.60.20.7
Bandera de la Provincia de Alajuela.svg  Alajuela 37.834.124.71.40.90.30.20.6
Bandera de Cartago (Costa Rica).svg  Cartago 35.431.828.41.90.70.50.41.0
Bandera de la Provincia de Heredia.svg  Heredia 36.126.833.21.61.10.40.20.7
Bandera de la Provincia de Puntarenas.svg  Puntarenas 45.033.815.82.51.70.20.30.9
Bandera de la Provincia de Limon.svg  Limón 48.628.414.92.83.10.30.41.5
Bandera de la Provincia de Guanacaste.svg  Guanacaste 44.340.612.10.91.20.20.20.8
Total38.631.126.21.71.10.40.30.9

Second round

Province PUSC  % PLN  %
Bandera de San Jose (Costa Rica).svg  San José 57.742.3
Bandera de la Provincia de Alajuela.svg  Alajuela 56.143.9
Bandera de Cartago (Costa Rica).svg  Cartago 55.644.4
Bandera de la Provincia de Heredia.svg  Heredia 58.141.9
Bandera de la Provincia de Puntarenas.svg  Puntarenas 59.740.3
Bandera de la Provincia de Limon.svg  Limón 67.033.0
Bandera de la Provincia de Guanacaste.svg  Guanacaste 57.142.9
Total58.042.0

Parliament

Costa Rica Legislative Assembly 2002.svg
PartyVotes%Seats+/–
Social Christian Unity Party 453,20129.7819–8
National Liberation Party 412,38327.1017–6
Citizens' Action Party 334,16221.9614New
Libertarian Movement 142,1529.346+5
Costa Rican Renewal Party 54,6993.5910
Democratic Force 30,1721.980–3
National Integration Party 26,0841.710–1
Coalition Change 2000 12,9920.850New
Agrarian Labour Action Party 10,8900.720–1
Independent Workers' Party  [ es ]8,0440.530New
National Patriotic Party  [ es ]7,1230.470New
Cartago Agrarian Union Party 6,9740.4600
Christian National Alliance Party  [ es ]6,8250.450New
General Union Party  [ es ]5,8830.3900
National Rescue Party 4,9370.3200
National Agrarian Party  [ es ]2,5950.170New
Cartago Agrarian Force Party1,3900.090New
National Convergence Party1,3480.0900
Total1,521,854100.00570
Valid votes1,521,85496.97
Invalid votes28,4611.81
Blank votes19,0231.21
Total votes1,569,338100.00
Registered voters/turnout2,279,85168.84
Source: Election Resources

By province

Province PUSC PLN PAC ML PRC FD PIN Other
 %S %S %S %S %S %S %S %S
Bandera de San Jose (Costa Rica).svg  San José 27.1624.2527.0611.823.611.701.802.80
Bandera de la Provincia de Alajuela.svg  Alajuela 30.2430.5420.727.512.801.301.405.40
Bandera de Cartago (Costa Rica).svg  Cartago 25.7225.4220.827.312.003.704.5010.40
Bandera de la Provincia de Heredia.svg  Heredia 27.5124.3127.6210.713.502.301.003.00
Bandera de la Provincia de Puntarenas.svg  Puntarenas 37.8229.8112.9110.014.201.800.403.20
Bandera de la Provincia de Limon.svg  Limón 37.3226.2212.718.115.602.700.809.40
Bandera de la Provincia de Guanacaste.svg  Guanacaste 37.9239.1210.302.806.201.200.402.20
Total29.81927.11722.0149.363.612.001.704.60

See also

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References

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