2022 Costa Rican general election

The 2022 Costan Rican general election is scheduled for Sunday, 6 February 2022, in accordance with the Constitution of Costa Rica, to elect the president, two vice-presidents and all 57 deputies of the Legislative Assembly. If none of the presidential nominees obtained at least 40% of the votes, a second electoral round will be called for Sunday, 3 April of that same year between the two most voted. These will be the eighteenth elections of this type held in the country since the current Constitution is in force.

2022 Costa Rican general election

6 February 2022

Presidential election

Party PAC PRN PLN   Party PUSC PIN PRSC

President before election Carlos Alvarado Quesada PAC Elected President TBD

Legislative election

Party Leader Current seats PLN 17 PAC 10 PUSC 9 PRN 7 PNR 6 PIN 2 PRSC 1 FA 1 PNG 1

Backstory

In the preceding elections, a second electoral round was held for the third time in history when no political party reached 40% of the votes. The two candidates with the most support were the then deputy, journalist, preacher and Christian music singer Fabricio Alvarado Muñoz of the conservative National Restoration party and the former Minister of Labor, journalist and writer Carlos Alvarado Quesada of the ruling Citizens' Action. The election was marked by social and religious issues that included issues such as same-sex marriage, the secular state, and sex education.[1][2] Carlos Alvarado was the winner in the second round by a wide margin; 60 over 39%.[3][4]

Leader of the opposition Fabricio Alvarado would resign National Restoration soon after founding a new party named New Republic and taking 6 out of 14 of Restoration's deputies.

Popular protests

One of the most controversial aspects of the Alvarado Quesada administration was the approval by the Legislative Assembly of the Law for the Strengthening of Public Finances, popularly known as the Fiscal Plan, which was opposed by both the right and the left, but it was supported by the benches of the majority parties; PLN, PAC and PUSC (ranging from center-right to center-left). Opposition to the project led to the 2018 Costa Rican union strike, one of the largest in recent history, but which did not have the effect of stopping the project.

The opposition to the tax reform, however, generated future protests coupled with other issues of discontent from specific sectors. In mid-2019, protests were raised by fishermen, truck drivers and high school students, the latter calling for the resignation of then Minister of Education Edgar Mora and closing national roads. The students demanded, among other things, the end of the FARO tests and the reestablishment of the traditional high school tests, improvement in infrastructure and the departure of Mora, who effectively resigned on 2 July 2019. During the protests, the use of a dynamite explosive during a protest in front of the Presidential House and a Molotov cocktails in the office of pro-government independent deputy Zoila Volio. The protests were supported by allies as dissimilar as the union movements traditionally associated with the left of leaders such as the unionist Albino Vargas as well as the ultra-conservative neo-Pentecostal political movement led by the presidential candidate Fabricio Alvarado and by far-right movements.[5]

Far-right growth

As in other countries, the phenomenon of the emergence of the extreme right and of movements that claim to be nationalist and irredentist appeared in Costa Rica. Different movements associated with ideas of the extreme right and opposed to immigration (especially Nicaraguan) proliferated in recent years.

In 2018, a wave of false news disseminated by Facebook pages with an ultra-right leaning have been identified as responsible for instigating hatred and increasing xenophobia.[6][7] The pages falsely spread that Nicaraguan groups had burned the Costa Rican flag (when they It was about Costa Rican anarchists in a demonstration many years before) and who had "taken over" La Merced park in San José (known as a meeting place for immigrants) when in fact a Nicaraguan flag had been temporarily raised to collect food for refugees.

A march against Nicaraguan migrants was held on 19 August 2018, in which neo-Nazi groups and hooligans participated.[8][9][10] Although not all the participants were linked to these groups, the protest turned violent and the Public Force intervened with a balance of 44 arrested, 36 Costa Ricans and the rest Nicaraguans.[11]

In 2019 Facebook social network pages such as Deputy 58, Costa Rican Resistance and Salvación Costa Rica described as "ultra-nationalists" and radically opposed to immigration called for an anti-government demonstration on 1 May, with little attendance.[12][13]

In 2019, a paramilitary group that calls itself the July 7 Patriot Front comes to light and makes a call through a video whose participants wore masks and fatigue clothes, to carry out a violent coup that would depose the government. Right-wing populist presidential candidate Juan Diego Castro accused the government of being behind the video and of being a hoax, although this turned out to be false when the judicial authorities discovered those responsible.[14]

The group was quickly identified by the police authorities and its leadership was arrested a few days after the incident.[15] The leaders apparently had links with the ultra-religious far right and the former Cobra Command that carried out violent activities against indigenous people in the 1990s.[16][17]

Candidates

Several former candidates who participated in the process have already announced their interest in being candidates again. In most cases, these candidates resigned from the parties for which they tried to obtain the presidency and began the processes of founding new political groups. One of the first to make the announcement was the criminal lawyer, former Minister of Justice and former Grand Master of the Masonic Grand Lodge of Costa Rica Juan Diego Castro Fernández, who announced the creation of a new party called "Reconstruction" after his unfriendly break with the National Integration Party.[18][19] In January 2021 Castro announced that the attempts on founding the new party were cancelled due to logistical difficulties.[20]

Natalia Díaz Quintana, former deputy and former presidential candidate for the defunct Libertarian Movement who lost in the primaries of said party to the historic leader Otto Guevara Guth, announced the creation of a new liberal party called Unidos Podemos, unrelated to the Spanish coalition of the same name, although similarly using the color purple.[21][22] Díaz had previously resigned from the Libertarian and even gave his adhesion to the candidate of the National Liberation Party Antonio Álvarez Desanti in the 2018 election. Otto Guevara himself has announced that he does not rule out a sixth presidential candidacy, although due to the critical financial situation affected by all kinds of debts carried after the serious electoral setbacks suffered in the past campaigns, Guevara founded another new party named Liberal Union.[23][24]

Fabricio Alvarado, who was one of the most voted candidates in the previous election, announced his separation from the party for which he was a deputy and candidate through his Facebook account and the creation of a new political party called Nueva República, assuring is a now secular party, not religious one as Restauración.[25]

It is rumored that former president José María Figueres Olsen would run in a second attempt to be reelected, since last season he tried to achieve the presidential nomination of the National Liberation Party being defeated in the 2017 primaries.[26] Although some rumors suggest that he could seek the presidency through another party founded for this purpose by figuerismo. In July 2019, the former president lashed out at the government and was the only one of the former presidents who did not sign a letter calling for peaceful dialogue, harshly criticizing not only the current government but also the administrations of the National Liberation and Christian Social Unity parties, describing them as "PLUSC", a traditional pejorative term towards Costa Rica's two party system.[27][28]

At the beginning of 2020, Pedro Muñoz Fonseca president of Social Christian Unity Party, Mario Redondo Poveda of the Christian Democratic Alliance and Otto Guevara Guth of the Liberal Union began negotiations for the creation of a liberal right-wing coalition with the self-proclaimed goal of preventing a third consecutive PAC government.[29] Although Natalia Díaz Quintana of Unidos Podemos was invited, she declined to participate preferring to go to the elections alone. The participation of Eliécer Feinzaig Mintz of the Liberal Progressive Party in the negotiations was reported in principle, but representatives of the party denied it later.[30]

The deputy of Romanian origin Dragos Dolanescu Valenciano announced his presidential candidacy through a new political formation called Fair Costa Rica after his departure from the Republican Social Christian Party following accusations of alleged financial misstatement lodged by the party's Executive Committee against him in the General Prosecutor's office.[31]

Among those who have expressed their interest in being presidential candidates are;[32] on the National Liberation Party (the main opposition): the former presidential candidate in 2018 Antonio Álvarez Desanti, the former president of the party and former president of the National Insurance Institute Guillermo Costenla, the former secretary general and lawyer Fernando Zamora and the economist Gerardo Corrales. The former president José María Figueres Olsen, congresswoman Franggi Nicolás and former prime minister Rodrigo Arias Sánchez, brother of the former president and Nobel Peace Prize winner Óscar Arias, have also been rumored, although not confirmed.[32]

Pedro Múñoz, deputy, and lawyer Roberto Suñol have confirmed for the Partido Unidad Social Cristiana.[32] The two former candidates Rodolfo Piza Rocafort and Rafael Ortiz Fábrega are in diplomatic posts abroad.[32]

In the Citizens' Action Party, rumors were heard about possible nominations by the president of the Costa Rican Social Security Fund, Román Macaya Hayes and the ambassador to Spain and former vice president Ana Helena Chacón, however Macaya denied it through a press release and Chacón assured that she could not refer to the matter due to her current position.[32]

In National Restoration, a party that played an important role in the last election, but whose candidate on that occasion quit the party, current President of the Legislative Assembly Eduardo Cruickshank is rumored as a possible candidate.[32] While Sergio Mena Díaz would be repeating for the third time the presidential candidacy with double nomination for deputy also for the third time by the right-wing New Generation Party.

Opinion polling

References

1. Murillo, Álvaro; Rodríguez, Frank (24 January 2018). "Shock religioso impacta apoyo a candidatos". CIEP (UCR). Archived from the original on 26 January 2018. Retrieved 25 January 2018.
2. Herrera, Kimberly (22 January 2018). "TSE ha recibido 129 denuncias por uso de religión en campaña política". Mundo. Retrieved 24 January 2018.
3. Garcia, David Alire; Pretel, Enrique Andres. "Costa Rica center-left easily wins presidency in vote fought on gay rights". Reuters. Retrieved 2 April 2018.
4. Stanley, Katherine. "Carlos Alvarado wins Costa Rica's presidency in a landslide". The Tico Times. Retrieved 2 April 2018.
5. Avendaño, Manuel (19 November 2019). "El coqueteo político entre Nueva República y Albino Vargas". La República. Retrieved 15 July 2019.
6. Mora Pérez, Kenneth (12 April 2018). "El efecto de las noticias falsas o fake news y ¿cómo detectarlas?". Hoy en el TEC. Retrieved 14 July 2019.
7. "Las 'fake news' en Costa Rica desatan la xenofobia contra los nicaragüenses". El País. 21 August 2018. Retrieved 14 July 2019.
8. Rico (18 August 2018). "44 arrested for xenophobic attacks against Nicaraguans in San José". QCosta Rica. Retrieved 2 November 2018.
9. "Costa Rica: symboles nazis lors d'une manifestation anti-migrants nicaraguayens". Journal de Montreal. 19 August 2018. Retrieved 2 November 2018.
10. Castillo, Bryan (18 August 2018). "'Neonazis' e integrantes de barras de fútbol participaron en agresiones a nicaragüenses". La Teja. Retrieved 25 May 2019.
11. "Costa Rica: violenta protesta contra inmigración nicaragüense". DW. Retrieved 2 November 2018.
12. Chinchilla, Aarón (30 April 2019). "Ultranacionalistas costarricenses convocan marcha contra Gobierno en 1 de Mayo". El Periódico. Retrieved 24 June 2019.
13. Cartín, Cristian (30 April 2019). "Llaman a concentrarse contra Carlos Alvarado". Diario Extra. Retrieved 24 June 2019.
14. Gómez, Dylan (13 July 2019). "Juan Diego Castro sigue pensando que video de grupo armado es un show del PAC". NCR. Retrieved 15 July 2019.
15. Solano, Hugo; Salas, Yeryis (13 July 2019). "Líderes de comando que difundía videos incitando a la violencia serán procesados por motín". La Nación. Retrieved 14 July 2019.
16. Salas, Yeryis (14 July 2019). "Líder del 'Brazo Armado del Pueblo' y candidato a alcalde: el historial del detenido por video con amenazas al presidente". La Nación. Retrieved 14 July 2019.
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21. Alfaro, Josué (24 May 2018). "Natalia Díaz intentará impulsar un nuevo partido liberal, aunque "menos radical"". Semanario Universidad. Retrieved 29 October 2018.
22. Herrera, Kimberly (23 April 2018). "Natalia Díaz fundará nuevo partido "Unidos Podemos"". Mundo. Retrieved 29 October 2018.
23. Pérez, Karla (6 February 2018). "Otto Guevara no descarta sexta candidatura a la presidencia en 2022". Mundo. Retrieved 29 October 2018.
24. Arrieta, Esteban (22 March 2018). "Otto Guevara piensa en nuevo partido y desaparecer deudas de un plumazo". La República. Retrieved 29 October 2018.
25. Madrigal, Luis. "Fabricio Alvarado renuncia a Restauración Nacional: "Su cúpula me vio como una amenaza"". Delfino. Retrieved 24 October 2018.
26. Ruiz, Gerardo (12 January 2019). "Figueres baja tono". CRHoy. Retrieved 14 July 2019.
27. Madrigal, Rebeca (13 July 2019). "Memoria vuelve a traicionar a José María Figueres". La Nación. Retrieved 14 July 2019.
28. Madrigal, Rebeca (4 July 2019). "Figueres: 'Me identifico con el malestar nacional' por los problemas que nacieron en los últimos cuatro gobiernos". La Nación. Retrieved 14 July 2019.
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31. Quesada, Daniel (13 July 2020). "Dragos Dolanescu crea nuevo partido "Costa Rica Justa"". Radio Santa Clara. Retrieved 18 July 2020.
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