List of political parties in Costa Rica
Encyclopedia
This article lists political parties
in Costa Rica
.
Costa Rica used to have a two-party system
, which meant that there were two dominant political parties, the Social Christian Unity Party
and the National Liberation Party, with extreme difficulty for anybody to achieve electoral success under the banner of any other party. After the 2002 elections and the strong showing of the brand-new Citizens' Action Party
, it was considered very likely that the old two-party system was on the verge of giving way to a multi-party system
. Several other parties have gained prominence since then, and the 2006 elections made it clear that Costa Rica is now a multi-party system.
Political party
A political party is a political organization that typically seeks to influence government policy, usually by nominating their own candidates and trying to seat them in political office. Parties participate in electoral campaigns, educational outreach or protest actions...
in Costa Rica
Costa Rica
Costa Rica , officially the Republic of Costa Rica is a multilingual, multiethnic and multicultural country in Central America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, Panama to the southeast, the Pacific Ocean to the west and the Caribbean Sea to the east....
.
Costa Rica used to have a two-party system
Two-party system
A two-party system is a system where two major political parties dominate voting in nearly all elections at every level of government and, as a result, all or nearly all elected offices are members of one of the two major parties...
, which meant that there were two dominant political parties, the Social Christian Unity Party
Social Christian Unity Party
The Social Christian Unity Party is a political party in Costa Rica.PUSC considers itself a Christian Democratic Party and, as such, is a member of the Centrist Democrat International.-2002 election:...
and the National Liberation Party, with extreme difficulty for anybody to achieve electoral success under the banner of any other party. After the 2002 elections and the strong showing of the brand-new Citizens' Action Party
Citizens' Action Party
The Citizen's Action Party is a left-leaning political party in Costa Rica.Its platform is based on encouraging citizen participation and involvement in politics. One of its guiding ideals is to fight against corruption, arguing that it is one of the main causes of subdevelopment and voter apathy...
, it was considered very likely that the old two-party system was on the verge of giving way to a multi-party system
Multi-party system
A multi-party system is a system in which multiple political parties have the capacity to gain control of government separately or in coalition, e.g.The Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition in the United Kingdom formed in 2010. The effective number of parties in a multi-party system is normally...
. Several other parties have gained prominence since then, and the 2006 elections made it clear that Costa Rica is now a multi-party system.
Parliamentary parties
| Name | Ideology | Deputies Legislative Assembly of Costa Rica The Legislative Assembly is the unicameral legislative branch of the government of Costa Rica. The national congress building is located in the city capital, San José, specifically in El Carmen District in San José Canton.-Composition:... |
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|---|---|---|---|---|
| National Liberation Party Partido Liberación Nacional |
PLN | Social democracy Social democracy Social democracy is a political ideology of the center-left on the political spectrum. Social democracy is officially a form of evolutionary reformist socialism. It supports class collaboration as the course to achieve socialism... |
25 | |
| Citizens' Action Party Citizens' Action Party The Citizen's Action Party is a left-leaning political party in Costa Rica.Its platform is based on encouraging citizen participation and involvement in politics. One of its guiding ideals is to fight against corruption, arguing that it is one of the main causes of subdevelopment and voter apathy... Partido Acción Ciudadana |
PAC | Social democracy Social democracy Social democracy is a political ideology of the center-left on the political spectrum. Social democracy is officially a form of evolutionary reformist socialism. It supports class collaboration as the course to achieve socialism... |
17 | |
| Libertarian Movement Party Partido Movimiento Libertario |
PML | Libertarianism Libertarianism Libertarianism, in the strictest sense, is the political philosophy that holds individual liberty as the basic moral principle of society. In the broadest sense, it is any political philosophy which approximates this view... |
6 | |
| Social Christian Unity Party Social Christian Unity Party The Social Christian Unity Party is a political party in Costa Rica.PUSC considers itself a Christian Democratic Party and, as such, is a member of the Centrist Democrat International.-2002 election:... Partido de Unidad Socialcristiana |
PUS | Christian democracy Christian Democracy Christian democracy is a political ideology that seeks to apply Christian principles to public policy. It emerged in nineteenth-century Europe under the influence of conservatism and Catholic social teaching... |
5 | |
| National Union Party National Union Party (Costa Rica) The National Union Party is a political party in Costa Rica.In the 2006 general elections, they won 2.5 % of the legislative votes, and 1.6 % of the Presidential vote. They were able to win one seat in the legislature.... Partido Unión Nacional |
PUN | Conservatism Conservatism Conservatism is a political and social philosophy that promotes the maintenance of traditional institutions and supports, at the most, minimal and gradual change in society. Some conservatives seek to preserve things as they are, emphasizing stability and continuity, while others oppose modernism... |
1 | |
| National Rescue Party National Rescue Party The National Rescue Party is a political party in Costa Rica.The party first contested general elections in 1998, but received only 0.7% of the vote and failed to win a seat. In 2002 they received only 0.3% of the vote, whilst Pablo Angulo Casasola, the party's presidential candidate, finished... Partido Rescate Nacional |
PRN | Socialism Socialism Socialism is an economic system characterized by social ownership of the means of production and cooperative management of the economy; or a political philosophy advocating such a system. "Social ownership" may refer to any one of, or a combination of, the following: cooperative enterprises,... |
1 | |
| Accessibility without Exclusion Accesibilidad sin Exclusión |
PASE | Humanism Humanism Humanism is an approach in study, philosophy, world view or practice that focuses on human values and concerns. In philosophy and social science, humanism is a perspective which affirms some notion of human nature, and is contrasted with anti-humanism.... |
1 | |
| Broad Front Broad Front (Costa Rica) The Broad Front is a social-democrat political party in Costa Rica, the main component of the front is the Alternative of the Lefts Movement... Frente Amplio |
FA | Socialism Socialism Socialism is an economic system characterized by social ownership of the means of production and cooperative management of the economy; or a political philosophy advocating such a system. "Social ownership" may refer to any one of, or a combination of, the following: cooperative enterprises,... |
1 |
Non-parliamentary parties
- Costa Rican Renovation PartyCosta Rican Renovation Party-History:Established in 1995, the party first participated in national elections in 1998, when its presidential candidate, Sherman Thomas Jackson received 1.4% of the vote, whilst they won a single seat in the parliamentary elections, taken by Justo Orozco....
(Partido Renovación Costarricense) - Democratic ForceDemocratic Force (Costa Rica)Democratic Force is a political party in Costa Rica.The party was founded in 1994 by Gerardo Trejos and other new left-wing Costa Rican leaders....
(Fuerza Democrática) - Democratic Nationalist Alliance Party (Partido Alianza Democrática Nacionalista)
- Homeland First PartyHomeland First PartyThe Homeland First Party is a political party in Costa Rica.In the 2006 general elections, they won 1.6 % of the legislative votes, and 1.1 % of the Presidential vote. They were unable to win any seats in the legislature....
(Partido Patria Primero) - National Integration PartyNational Integration Party (Costa Rica)The National Integration Party is a political party in Costa Rica.The party first contested general elections in 1998, in which it won a single seat, taken by Walter Muñoz Céspedes, who was also their candidate in the presidential election, where he finished fourth with 1.4%. However, the party...
(Partido Integración Nacional) - Popular Vanguard PartyPopular Vanguard PartyThe People's Vanguard Party, or Popular Vanguard Party is a communist party in Costa Rica. PVP was founded in 1931 as the Workers and Farmers Party, but was soon renamed to the Communist Party of Costa Rica .PVP publishes El Popular.-History:In 1943 the party was renamed as PVP,...
(Partido Vanguardia Popular) - Union for Change PartyUnion for Change PartyThe Union for Change Party is a political party in Costa Rica.In the 2006 general elections, they won 2.4 % of the legislative votes, and 2.44 % of the Presidential vote. They were unable to win any seats in the legislature....
(Partido Unión para el Cambio) - United Left (Izquierda Unida)
Provincial parties
- Alajuelense Democratic ActionAlajuelense Democratic ActionAlajuelense Democratic Action is a political party in Costa Rica.The first general elections contested by the party were in 1982, when it won a single seat. However, it won only 0.3% of the vote at the 1986 elections and lost its seat. It did not contest the 1990 elections, but returned in 1994,...
(Acción Democrática Alajuelense), Alajuela - Agrarian Labour Action Party (Partido Acción Laborista Agrícola), Alajuela
- New Feminist League (Nueva Liga Feminista), San José
Defunct parties
- National Unification PartyNational Unification Party (Costa Rica)The National Unification Party was a political party in Costa Rica from 1966 to 1978. It was founded by Rafael Ángel Calderón Guardia and Otilio Ulate Blanco, and espoused social welfare and a free market....
, active 1966–1978