1923 Costa Rican general election

1923 Costa Rican general election
Turnout	69,577
President before election; Julio Acosta; Republican	Elected President ; Ricardo Jiménez Oreamuno; Republican

General elections were held in Costa Rica on 2 December 1923.^[1] Ricardo Jiménez Oreamuno of the Republican Party won the presidential election, whilst the party also won the parliamentary election, in which they received 51.5% of the vote.^[2] Voter turnout was 70.5% in the presidential election and 83.9% in the parliamentary election.^[3]

Background[]

The newly founded Agricultural Party chooses its presidential nominee at a convention held at the Teatro El Trébol between the aristocrat Alberto Echandi Montero and the ex-president Rafael Yglesias Castro, receiving 231 and 123 votes respectively, although Yglesias requested the attendees to support Echandi then thought about retiring from politics (he died a year later).^[4]

In the Republican Party the grassroots base is determined to convince former President Ricardo Jimenez Oreamuno to accept the candidacy, but he was reluctant. Once convinced, he said "You do not go with me, I go with you" and "... if the devil takes me, I am in good company".^[4]

The other new party that emerges is the Reformist Party of ex-priest and military Jorge Volio, and which is considered the first "social" political party in Costa Rica, since it was the first one that really inserted itself among and from the popular classes, inspired by Volio's Christian socialism.^[4]

Campaign[]

Both the republicans and the reformists concentrated their batteries against the candidacy of Echandi, whom they considered representative of the most privileged classes, as well as accusing him of "tinoquista". Echandi, meanwhile, focused on attacking Volio who he accused of being a puppet of Jiménez and that his party had been founded as an electoral trap for the Republicans, also questioned the constitutionality of Volio's candidacy since the Constitution prohibited Catholic priests from being presidents (even though Volio had already renounced his priesthood). Due to Volio's guerrilla past and the abandonment of his habits, he was compared to Judas, Martin Luther and Pancho Villa.^[4]

Jiménez, on the other hand, did not attack the reformists, on the contrary he affirmed: "The echandismo is the adversary, because the reformists do not conceptualize them as such. Both parties, the Republican and the Reformist, are planets that revolve around the same sun of ideals. (...) If the opinion favors us we will say the republicans; we have won. If the opinion is inclined to the side of the reformists we can say that the Republicans have not lost."^[4]

Jiménez would obtain 46% of the votes, Echandi 29% and Volio 20% (a rather surprising result given that it was a party with less than a year of foundation). Because no candidate obtained enough votes to win in the first round (50%) it was up to the Constitutional Congress (parliament) to choose the president.^[4]

Aftermath[]

At that time half of the Congress was maintained for two more years and the other half was renewed. The Republican Party obtained eleven new deputies, the Agricultural obtained eight and the Reformists four, that added to those already in functions (including Jiménez and Volio) would be; 20 Agricultural deputies, 18 Republicans and 5 Reformists for a total of 43. It was clear that the decisive vote would be from the Reformists because the Agriculturalists, even with a majority, did not have enough votes to elect the president alone.^[4]

During the counting of votes the Reformist Lorenzo Cambronero organizes a popular uprising in San Ramón, which is stifled by the government without major impact, but which causes the cancellation of several polling stations that favored the echandismo, which caused it to lose two deputies that were to give to the Republican and the Reformist, for which the echandistas accused of electoral fraud.^[4]

After exhaustive negotiations finally Republicans and Reformists reach an agreement, the presidency for Jiménez and vice president for Volio, in addition to the portfolios of Education and Development for Reformist and support for several of their programmatic proposals. The Agriculturalists try to break the quorum but the presidency of a single agricultural deputy, Gerardo Zúñiga Montúfar, prevents it. Montúfar affirmed that it was his constitutional duty to attend. Jiménez was elected as expected with the combined votes of the Republican and Reformist caucuses, since Echandi only won one vote (Montúfar's) . When the followers of Echandi instigated him to reject the results and organize a revolt, Echandi replied:

The Presidency of the Republic does not worth a single drop of Costa Rican blood.^[4]

Results[]

President[]

Popular Vote

Jiménez			42.5%
Echandi			37.3%
Volio			20.1%

Candidate		Party	Votes	%
	Ricardo Jiménez Oreamuno	Republican Party	29,843	42.5
	Alberto Echandi Montero	Agricultural Party	26,244	37.3
	Jorge Volio Jiménez	Reformist Party	14,132	20.1
Invalid/blank votes			10	-
Total			70,219	100
Source: Nohlen;^[5]

By province

Province	Jiménez %	Echandi %	Volio %
Province
San José Province	41.53	32.35	26.11
Alajuela	31.56	47.98	20.50
Cartago Province	54.27	28.85	16.86
Heredia	36.54	39.47	23.97
Guanacaste	53.22	39.22	7.54
Puntarenas	47.30	42.93	9.76
Limón	44.38	31.48	24.13
Total	42.5	37.3	20.1
Source:^[6]

Appointment of Ricardo Jiménez Oreamuno[]

Ballot →		1 May 1913
First Designate to the Presidency of the Republic Ricardo Jiménez Oreamuno (PR)
Required majority →		Absolute Y
	Yes • PR (17) • Ref (5)	22 / 43
	No • PA (1)	1 / 43
	Blank • PR (1)	1 / 43
	Absentees • PA (19)	20 / 43
Sources^[4]

Parliament[]

Popular Vote

Republican			51.5%
Agricultural			31.5%
Reformist			17.0%

Elected seats

Republican			47.82%
Agricultural			34.78%
Reformist			17.39%

Total seats

Agricultural			46.51%
Republican			41.86%
Reformist			11.62%

Party		Votes	%	Seats	Total Seats

	Republican Party	42,568	51.5	11	18
	Agricultural Party	26,034	31.5	8	20
	Reformist Party	14,115	17.0	4	5
Invalid/blank votes		0	-	-	-
Total		82,717	100	23	43
Source: García ^[4]

References[]

^ Nohlen, D (2005) Elections in the Americas: A data handbook, Volume I, p155 ISBN 978-0-19-928357-6
^ Nohlen, p164
^ Nohlen, p156
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j ^k Oconitrillo García, Eduardo (2004). Cien años de política costarricense: 1902-2002, de Ascensión Esquivel a Abel Pacheco. EUNED. ISBN 9789968313605.
^ Salazar, J. (2003) Crisis Liberal y Estado Reformista, p 130 ISBN 9977-67-290-3
^ Salazar, J. (2003) Crisis Liberal y Estado Reformista, p 131 ISBN 9977-67-290-3

[DN-1] Nohlen, D (2005) Elections in the Americas: A data handbook, Volume I, p155 ISBN 978-0-19-928357-6

[2] Nohlen, p164

[3] Nohlen, p156

[CR-100-4] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j ^k Oconitrillo García, Eduardo (2004). Cien años de política costarricense: 1902-2002, de Ascensión Esquivel a Abel Pacheco. EUNED. ISBN 9789968313605.

[5] Salazar, J. (2003) Crisis Liberal y Estado Reformista, p 130 ISBN 9977-67-290-3

[6] Salazar, J. (2003) Crisis Liberal y Estado Reformista, p 131 ISBN 9977-67-290-3

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

v t Elections and referendums in Costa Rica
Presidential elections	1825 1829 1833 1835 1837 1844 1847 1849 1853 1859 1860 1863 1866 1869 1872 1876 1882 1886 1889 1894 1897–98 1901–02 1905–06 1909–10 1913 1917 1919 1923 1928 1932 1936 1940 1944 1948 1953 1958 1962 1966 1970 1974 1978 1982 1986 1990 1994 1998 2002 2006 2010 2014 2018 2022
Parliamentary elections	1849 1853 1859 1860 1863 1866 1869 1872 1876 1882 1886 1889 1894 1897–98 1901–02 1905–06 1909–10 1913 1915 1917 1919 1921 1923 1925 1928 1930 1932 1934 1936 1938 1940 1942 1944 1946 1948 (Feb) 1948 (Dec) 1949 1953 1958 1962 1966 1970 1974 1978 1982 1986 1990 1994 1998 2002 2006 2010 2014 2018 2022
Local elections	2002 2006 2010 2016 2020
Referendums	1870 2007
See also: Elections in the Federal Republic of Central America