1986 Costa Rican general election

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1986 Costa Rican general election
← 1982 2 February 1986 (1986-02-02) 1990 →
Turnout81.8%
  Óscar Arias.jpg R A Calderon.jpg
Nominee Óscar Arias Sánchez Rafael Ángel Calderón
Party PLN PUSC
Home state Heredia San José
Popular vote 620,314 542,434
Percentage 52.3% 45.8%
Resultados 1986 Presidente.svg
Results by canton
President before election

Luis Alberto Monge
PLN

Elected President

Óscar Arias
PLN

Legislative election
Party Leader % Seats +/–
PLN Óscar Arias Sánchez 47.8 % 29 -4
PUSC Rafael Ángel Calderón Fournier 41.4% 25 +7
PU Rodrigo Gutiérrez Sáenz 2.7% 1 -3
Álvaro Montero Mejía 2.4% 1 New
PUAC Juan Guillermo Brenes 1.1% 1 0
This lists parties that won seats. See the complete results below.
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General elections were held in Costa Rica on 2 February 1986.[1] Óscar Arias of the National Liberation Party won the presidential election, whilst his party also won the parliamentary election. Voter turnout was 81.8%.[2]

Costa Rica was under a strong two-party system at the time. The country was undergoing military tensions with neighboring Nicaragua due to the recently happened Sandinista Revolution and Nicaragua's dictator Daniel Ortega's fighting of the right-wing Contra rebel guerilla in its southern border disregarding the official limits and confronting Costa Rica's police and security forces. Such skirmishes left one policeman's death and several wounded and both countries at the edge of war. Whilst some people blamed former president Rodrigo Carazo for allowing the FSLN to operate in the Costa Rican northern territory against then dictator Anastasio Somoza, others resented President Luis Alberto Monge's hawkish behavior toward Sandinista Nicaragua and his support of the Contras.[3]

Former minister and deputy Oscar Arias faced former vice president Carlos Manuel Castillo in closed primaries. Castillo had the support of PLN's traditional leadership including former presidents and party's founders José Figueres Ferrer, Daniel Oduber Quirós and Luis Alberto Monge.[4] Arias was seen as a young, alternative candidate and the "underdog" in the election, but managed to earn the majority of votes and popular support.[4]

On the other side of the two-party system former Foreign Minister (under Carazo's administration) Rafael Ángel Calderón Fournier, son of historical leader of Calderonismo Rafael Ángel Calderón Guardia, was nominated by the Social Christian Unity Party, then main opposition force. This was Calderón's second attempt to win the Presidency.

During the campaign the topic of peace was central. Calderón tried to present himself as a hawk who felt no quarrels in facing Nicaragua militarily. Arias on the contrary tried to show himself as a man of peace and negotiator who would pacified the region. His slogan was "Paz para mi gente" (Peace for my People).[3] In fact, some analysts also saw Arias' position as a strong criticism of Monge, of his own party, and his hardline position. Monge and Arias would be political enemies ever since.[3]

PLN campaign also focused in showing Calderón as a man of war and remembering old historical periods, blaming Calderonism for the 1948 Civil War and the 1955 Somoza-endorsed Calderonistas' invasion attempt. The party even went so far as to show Calderón in a cartoon as a spoil kid ready for war wearing the clothing of Quico, a popular character from El Chavo del Ocho.[5]

Results[]

President[]

Candidate Party Votes %
Óscar Arias Sánchez National Liberation Party 620,314 52.3
Rafael Ángel Calderón Fournier Social Christian Unity Party 542,434 45.8
Rodrigo Gutiérrez Sáenz Peoples' Alliance1 9,099 0.8
Álvaro Eduardo Montero Mejía United People 6,599 0.6
Alejandro Madrigal Benavides Christian National Alliancees 5,647 0.5
Eugenio Jiménez Sancho Independent Party 1,129 0.1
Invalid/blank votes 31,078 –
Total 1,216,300 100
Registered voters/turnout 1,486,474 81.8
Source: Nohlen; Election Resources

1 The People's Alliance was a coalition of the People's Vanguard Party and the Broad Democratic Front.

By province[]

Province Arias % Calderón % Gutiérrez % Montero % Madrigal % Jiménez %
 San José 54.2 43.8 0.8 0.6 0.5 0.1
 Alajuela 53.0 45.8 0.5 0.4 0.3 0.1
 Cartago 54.1 44.3 0.5 0.4 0.5 0.1
 Heredia 52.8 45.2 0.8 0.6 0.5 0.1
 Puntarenas 48.2 49.2 1.2 0.7 0.5 0.1
 Limón 42.4 54.0 1.7 1.1 0.7 0.1
 Guanacaste 50.1 48.7 0.3 0.5 0.3 0.1
Total 52.3 45.8 0.8 0.6 0.5 0.1
Popular Vote
Arias
 
 52.3%
Calderón
 
 45.8%
Gutiérrez
 
 0.8%
Montero
 
 0.6%
Madrigal
 
 0.5%
Jiménez
 
 0.1%

Parliament[]

Popular Vote
National Liberation
 
 47.8%
Social Christian Unity
 
 41.4%
United People
 
 2.7%
Peoples' Alliance
 
 2.4%
Christian Nat. Alliance
 
 1.7%
Cartago Agrarian Union
 
 1.2%
Other
 
 2.8%
Seats
National Liberation
 
 50.87%
Social Christian Unity
 
 43.85%
United People
 
 1.75%
Peoples' Alliance
 
 1.75%
Cartago Agrarian Union
 
 1.75%
Costa Rica Legislative Assembly 1986.svg
Party Votes % Seats +/–
National Liberation Party 560,964 47.8 29 -4
Social Christian Unity Party 485,860 41.4 25 New
United People 31,685 2.7 1 -3
Peoples' Alliance 28,551 2.4 1 New
Christian National Alliancees 19,972 1.7 0 New
Cartago Agrarian Union Party 13,575 1.2 1 +1
Independent National Republican Party 10,598 0.9 0 New
General Union Partyes 4,402 0.4 0 New
Alajuelense Democratic Action 4,324 0.4 0 -1
Limonese Authentic Party 3,813 0.3 0 0
Alajuelense Solidarity Party 3,604 0.3 0 New
Independent Party 3,067 0.3 0 0
National Democratic Party 2,054 0.2 0 0
Invalid/blank votes 43,854 – – –
Total 1,216,053 100 57 0
Registered voters/turnout 1,486,474 81.8 – –
Source: TSE; Election Resources

By province[]

Province PLN PUSC PU AP ANC PRNI PUG Others
% S % S % S % S % S % S % S % S
 San José 49.5 10 40.3 9 3.4 1 2.9 1 1.9 0 0.8 0 0.6 0 0.6 0
 Alajuela 49.9 5 42.0 5 1.2 0 1.3 0 1.1 0 0.6 0 0.1 0 3.9 0
 Cartago 46.6 3 37.5 2 1.7 0 1.7 0 1.3 0 0.6 0 0.1 0 10.5 1
 Heredia 48.3 3 42.1 2 4.1 0 2.5 0 2.1 0 0.8 0 0.1 0 - -
 Puntarenas 45.1 3 44.2 3 2.2 1 3.1 0 1.7 0 1.5 0 0.3 0 2.0 0
 Limón 34.9 2 44.6 2 4.8 1 5.5 0 1.7 0 1.4 0 0.9 0 6.2 0
 Guanacaste 47.6 3 45.6 2 1.4 0 0.8 0 2.5 0 1.7 0 0.3 0 - -
Total 47.8 29 41.4 25 2.7 1 2.4 1 1.7 0 0.9 0 0.4 0 2.7 1

Local governments[]

Alderpeople
National Liberation
 
 51.59%
Social Christian Unity
 
 46.03%
Regionalist
 
 1.19%
United People
 
 0.60%
Peoples' Alliance
 
 0.40%
National Democratic
 
 0.20%
Municipal Syndics
National Liberation
 
 72.86%
Social Christian Unity
 
 27.14%
Parties Popular vote Alderpeople Municipal Syndics
Votes % ±pp Total +/- Total +/-
National Liberation Party (PLN) 580,460 49.26 -6.55 260 -39 306 -97
Social Christian Unity Party (PUSC) 508,732 43.26 New 232 New 114 New
United People (PU) 33,026 2.81 -3.37 3 -18 0 0
Peoples' Alliance (AP) 29,551 2.51 New 2 New 0 New
Alajuelense Solidarity Party (PSA) 5,502 0.47 New 1 New 0 New
Alajuelense Democratic Action (PADA) 5,326 0.45 -0.53 1 -1 0 0
Generaleña Union Party (PUG) 4,327 0.37 +0.18 2 +1 0 0
Independent National Republican Party (PRNI) 3,143 0.27 New 0 New 0 New
Limonense Authentic Party (PAL) 2,342 0.20 +0.02 1 0 0 0
National Democratic Party (PND) 1,682 0.14 -0.85 1 -1 0 0
New Alajuelita Party (PALNU) 1,246 0.11 +0.00 1 0 0 0
Independent Party (PI) 726 0.06 -0.39 0 0 0 0
Total 1,176,063 100.00 - 504 +9 420 +6
Invalid votes 39,988 3.28
Votes cast / turnout 1,216,051 81.82
Abstentions 270,183 18.18
Registered voters 1,486,234 100%
Sources[6]

Ballot[]

References[]

  1. ^ Nohlen, D (2005) Elections in the Americas: A data handbook, Volume I, p155 ISBN 978-0-19-928357-6
  2. ^ Nohlen, p157
  3. ^ a b c Rodríguez Vega, Eugenio (2004). Costa Rica en el siglo veinte. EUNED. ISBN 9789968313834.
  4. ^ a b Picado León, Hugo. "Proceso de selección de candid atos a presidente y diputados en el PLN y el PUSC (1990-2006)" (PDF). Proyecto OIR/OPAL.
  5. ^ (2004). Cien años de política costarricense: 1902-2002, de Ascensión Esquivel a Abel Pacheco. EUNED. ISBN 9789968313605.
  6. ^ "Elecciones Regidurías 1982". tse.go.cr (in Spanish). Tribunal Supremo de Elecciones. Retrieved 21 May 2020.
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