1986 Costa Rican general election

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]

1986 Costa Rican general election
2 February 1986 (1986-02-02)
Turnout81.8%
 
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%
In green provinces won by Arias, in blue Calderón
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
AP 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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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 SánchezNational Liberation Party620,31452.3
Rafael Ángel Calderón FournierSocial Christian Unity Party542,43445.8
Rodrigo Gutiérrez SáenzPeoples' Alliance¹9,0990.8
Álvaro Eduardo Montero MejíaUnited People6,5990.6
Alejandro Madrigal BenavidesChristian National Alliancees5,6470.5
Eugenio Jiménez SanchoIndependent Party1,1290.1
Invalid/blank votes31,078–
Total1,216,300100
Registered voters/turnout1,486,47481.8
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
National Liberation
 
 52.3%
Social Christian Unity
 
 45.8%
Peoples' Alliance
 
 0.8%
United People
 
 0.6%
Democratic
 
 0.5%
Independent
 
 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%
Party Votes % Seats +/–
National Liberation Party560,96447.829-4
Social Christian Unity Party485,86041.425New
United People31,6852.71-3
Peoples' Alliance28,5512.41New
Christian National Alliancees19,9721.70New
Cartago Agrarian Union Party13,5751.21+1
Independent National Republican Party10,5980.90New
General Union Partyes4,4020.40New
Alajuelense Democratic Action4,3240.40-1
Limonese Authentic Party3,8130.300
Alajuelense Solidarity Party3,6040.30New
Independent Party3,0670.300
National Democratic Party2,0540.200
Invalid/blank votes43,854–––
Total1,216,053100570
Registered voters/turnout1,486,47481.8––
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

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. Rodríguez Vega, Eugenio. Costa Rica en el siglo veinte. EUNED.
  4. 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. Oconitrillo García, Eduardo. Cien años de política costarricense: 1902-2002, de Ascensión Esquivel a Abel Pacheco. EUNED.
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