Jump to content

1953 Costa Rican general election: Difference between revisions

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Browse history interactively
← Previous editNext edit →
Content deleted Content added
VisualWikitext
m Disambiguating links to Tarrazú (link changed to Tarrazú (canton)) using DisamAssist.
m Disambiguating links to Santo Domingo Canton (link changed to Santo Domingo (canton), Costa Rica) using DisamAssist.
Line 652: Line 652:
| 4.74
| 4.74
|-
|-
| align="left"| [[Santo Domingo Canton|Santo Domingo]]
| align="left"| [[Santo Domingo (canton), Costa Rica|Santo Domingo]]
| style="background:{{party color|National Liberation Party (Costa Rica)}}; color:white;"| 61.36
| style="background:{{party color|National Liberation Party (Costa Rica)}}; color:white;"| 61.36
| style="background:#6372d4; color:white;"| 33.78
| style="background:#6372d4; color:white;"| 33.78

Revision as of 10:16, 31 October 2022

1953 Costa Rican general election
← 1948 26 July 1953 1958 →
Turnout67%
Presidential election
 
Nominee José Figueres Fernando Castro Cervantes
Party PLN Democratic
Home state Alajuela San José
Popular vote 294,016 67,324
Percentage 64.7% 35.3%
Results by canton
President before election

Otilio Ulate
PUN

Elected President

José Figueres
PLN

Legislative election
Party Leader Vote % Seats +/–
PLN José Figueres Ferrer 64.7% 30 New
Democratic Fernando Castro Cervantes 21.2% 11 +9
PRN Rafael Ángel Calderón Guardia 7.2% 3 +3
PUN Otilio Ulate Blanco 6.9% 1 −33
This lists parties that won seats. See the complete results below.
Politics of Costa Rica
Constitution
Executive
Legislature
Judiciary
Administrative divisions
Elections
Foreign relations
flag Costa Rica portal

General elections were held in Costa Rica on 26 July 1953,[1] José Figueres Ferrer of the National Liberation Party won the presidential election, whilst his party also won the parliamentary election. Voter turnout was 67.2 percent in the presidential election and 67.5 percent in the parliamentary election.[2] Local elections were also held.

This was Costa Rica's first election since the end of the 1948 Civil War, and democratic guarantees were not fully restored.

José Figueres, the caudillo of the victorious National Liberation Army faction in the Civil War, was the candidate of the newly founded National Liberation Party (PLN).[3] Liberal Mario Echandi tried to be the candidate from then-ruling National Union Party (PUN), but his candidacy was denied by the Electoral Tribunal due to purported irregularities in the adherents' signatures.[3] This move was highly criticized by Figueres' opponents as an action in favor of Figueres' candidacy.[3]

As PUN was unable to participate, the only other candidacy alternate to Figueres was made by the Democratic Party, which nominated wealthy industrial magnate Fernando Castro Cervantes.[3] The three parties—PLN, PUN and Democratic—were all formerly united in opposition against the 1940s governments of Rafael Angel Calderón and his allies, who were viewed as having caused the civil war. Yet, after the war, such unification ceased.[3]

The losing sides in the civil war, mostly the Republicans (Calderón supporters) and the Communists, were unable to participate as the Republicans' party was disbanded and the Communist Party was constitutionally outlawed.[3] The Republicans were nonetheless allowed to participate in the legislative ballot with a provincial party in San José called the "Independent" Republican Party, and thereby gained some seats. As expected, Figueres won by a landslide victory.[3]

Background

Otilio Ulate Blanco, president of Costa Rica from 1949 to 1953.

The 1948 Costa Rican general election had resulted in Otilio Ulate Blanco, National Union Party's nominee, winning over former president Rafael Ángel Calderón Guardia and his coalition of the communist People's Vanguard Party and the socialcristiano National Republican Party.[4][5] The annulment of Ulate's victory led to a civil war that resulted in the overthrow of the calderonista government and the establishing of the "Founding Junta of the Second Republic", led by José Figueres Ferrer. Figueres, a social democrat, reached a deal with Otilio Ulate in which the Junta would govern with all powers (executive, legislative, judicial) for 18 months, introducing a wide array of reformist policies and would convene the election of a Constituent Assembly. In return, the Junta would recognize the legitimacy of Ulate's 1948 victory and would return power to him on no later than November 8, 1949, making him the first president of the "Second Republic" for a period no longer than 4 years.[6]

The Junta constituted itself as a revolutionary government, suspended the 1871 Constitution, with the exception of the individual and social rights. It published several executive degrees with force of law repealing labor rights consecrated in the Labor Code, with the objective of firing calderonista and communist public employees.[7][8] Alleging the prevention of any potential rise of militarist tendencies looking to frustrate the consolidation of democracy, the Junta abolished the country's armed forces, keeping only a police force to keep national security. Ever since Costa Rica has had no army. Other policies enacted by the Junta include universal suffrage, allowing women, Afro-descendants and illiterates to vote. The Constituent Assembly of Costa Rica, elected in December, 1948 approved a new Constitution, based on the previous one but with several changes, after the first, more progressive draft was rejected.[9]

The new government agreed to maintain the calderonista social and economic reforms, causing discomfort with oligarchic and conservative sectors. Furthermore, Figueres' decision to nationalize all banks and a 10% wealth tax were controversial and led to a failed coup attempt by Public Security Minister Edgar Cardona Quirós, in what is now known as the es:Cardonazo.[10]

Results

President

Candidate Party Votes %
José Figueres Ferrer National Liberation Party 123,444 64.7
Fernando Castro Cervantes Democratic Party 67,324 35.3
Invalid/blank votes 6,721 –
Total 197,489 100
Registered voters/turnout 295,925 67
Source: Nohlen

By province

Province Figueres % Castro %
 San José Province 64.1 35.9
 Alajuela 67.8 32.2
 Cartago 75.0 25.0
 Heredia 62.5 37.5
 Puntarenas 58.4 41.6
 Limón 54.4 45.6
 Guanacaste 57.9 42.1
Total 64.7 35.3
Popular Vote
Figueres
 
 64.7%
Castro
 
 35.3%

Parliament

Popular Vote
National Liberation
 
 64.7%
Democratic
 
 21.2%
Ind. National Republican
 
 7.2%
National Union
 
 6.9%
Seats
National Liberation
 
 66.7%
Democratic
 
 24.4%
Ind. National Republican
 
 6.6%
National Union
 
 2.23%
Party Votes % Seats +/–
National Liberation Party 114,043 64.7 30 +27
Democratic Party 37,322 21.2 11 New
Independent National Republican Party 12,696 7.2 3 New
National Union Party 12,069 6.9 1 –33
Invalid/blank votes 22,140 – – –
Total 198,270 100 45 0
Registered voters/turnout 295,925 67 – –
Source: TSE

By province

Province PLN PD PRN PUN
% S % S % S % S
 San José 64.7 10 11.4 2 17.3 3 6.6 1
 Alajuela 67.8 6 26.4 2 - - 5.7 0
 Cartago 75.5 5 18.2 1 - - 6.3 0
 Heredia 62.2 2 31.1 1 - - 6.3 0
 Puntarenas 59.1 3 36.0 2 - - 4.9 0
 Limón 55.0 1 30.7 1 - - 14.3 0
 Guanacaste 53.2 3 36.0 2 - - 10.8 0
Total 64.7 30 21.2 11 7.2 3 6.9 1
Deputies elected by province.

By canton

 San José
Province PLN PRN PD PUN
% % % %
San José 57.46 22.47 11.44 8.63
Escazú 73.40 10.68 13.68 2.24
Desamparados 76.91 10.76 7.83 4.49
Puriscal 66.38 11.45 16.83 5.34
Tarrazú 71.46 8.02 12.79 7.74
Aserrí 70.72 12.01 11.95 5.32
Mora 67.85 18.52 9.77 3.86
Goicoechea 64.69 19.35 11.39 4.57
Santa Ana 71.19 11.78 14.15 2.89
Alajuelita 60.18 18.54 15.13 6.14
Vázquez de Coronado 79.23 9.87 5.55 5.35
Acosta 71.70 8.61 15.80 3.89
Tibás 67.43 19.77 9.21 3.60
Moravia 66.44 16.64 9.95 6.97
Montes de Oca 69.27 14.54 9.27 6.93
Turrubares 63.50 3.41 27.74 5.34
Dota 73.06 9.19 9.52 8.23
Curridabat 78.52 10.59 8.12 2.77
Pérez Zeledón 84.51 3.04 8.99 3.46
Total 64.70 17.35 11.40 6.55
 Alajuela
Province PLN PD PUN
% % %
Alajuela 64.77 30.75 4.48
San Ramón 68.53 19.28 12.19
Grecia 66.72 29.60 3.69
San Mateo 70.44 24.50 5.05
Atenas 68.07 20.91 11.02
Naranjo 77.94 18.62 3.44
Palmares 69.48 23.82 6.70
Poás 77.15 16.44 6.42
Orotina 57.80 39.16 3.04
San Carlos 67.07 28.74 4.19
Alfaro Ruiz 67.57 26.98 5.45
Valverde Vega 72.82 25.41 1.77
Total 67.81 26.45 5.74
 Cartago
Province PLN PD PUN
% % %
Cartago 77.45 15.65 6.91
Paraíso 67.86 16.67 12.47
La Unión 71.25 23.66 5.09
Jiménez 82.89 10.38 6.74
Turrialba 67.94 27.13 4.93
Alvarado 84.42 13.09 2.49
Oreamuno 87.48 6.35 6.17
El Guarco 81.08 17.68 1.24
Total 75.52 18.23 6.25
 Heredia
Province PLN PD PUN
% % %
Heredia 62.37 30.37 7.26
Barva 59.87 35.39 4.74
Santo Domingo 61.36 33.78 4.86
Santa Bárbara 66.16 27.55 6.28
San Rafael 63.99 27.26 8.75
San Isidro 68.64 27.75 3.61
Belén 60.94 36.45 2.61
Flores 61.77 27.76 10.47
Total 62.59 31.10 6.32
 Guanacaste
Province PLN PD PUN
% % %
Liberia 58.02 30.85 11.13
Nicoya 48.09 38.41 13.51
Santa Cruz 49.57 43.32 7.12
Bagaces 61.39 30.89 7.72
Carrillo 54.20 33.22 12.59
Cañas 49.16 46.90 3.94
Abangares 63.57 30.09 6.35
Tilarán 63.15 17.91 18.94
Total 53.25 35.97 10.79
 Puntarenas
Province PLN PD PUN
% % %
Puntarenas 62.64 34.22 3.15
Esparza 58.99 37.92 3.10
Buenos Aires 83.85 14.36 1.79
Montes de Oro 57.96 19.46 22.59
Osa 53.02 41.70 5.28
Aguirre 53.22 44.74 2.04
Golfito 54.92 35.31 9.77
Total 59.14 35.97 4.90
 Limón
Province PLN PD PUN
% % %
Limón 57.57 35.05 7.38
Pococí 53.61 17.35 29.04
Siquirres 45.54 34.84 19.62
Total 55.00 30.72 14.28

Local governments

Alderpeople
National Liberation
 
 68.78%
Democratic
 
 27.00%
National Republican
 
 2.11%
National Union
 
 2.11%
Municipal Syndics
National Liberation
 
 95.68%
Democratic
 
 4.32%
Parties Popular vote Alderpeople Municipal Syndics
Votes % Total Total
National Liberation Party (PLN) 115,553 64,58 163 310
Democratic Party (PD) 42,002 23,47 64 14
Independent National Republican Party (PRN) 10,641 5,95 5 0
National Union Party (PUN) 10,636 5,94 5 0
Turrialba Independent Union Party (PUIT) 103 0,06 0 0
Total 178,935 100.00 237 324
Invalid votes 19,381 6.60
Votes cast / turnout 198,316 67.53
Abstentions 95,362 32,47
Registered voters 293,678 100%
Sources[11]

Ballot

References

  1. ^ Nohlen, D (2005) Elections in the Americas: A data handbook, Volume I, p155 ISBN 978-0-19-928357-6
  2. ^ Nohlen, p156
  3. ^ a b c d e f g Hernández Naranjo, Gerardo. "Reseña de las elecciones presidenciales de 1953" (PDF) (in Spanish). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2015-10-01. Retrieved 13 April 2016. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  4. ^ Castro Vega, Óscar (2007). Fin de la Segunda República: Figueres y la Constituyente del 49. San Pedro, Montes de Oca: EUNED. ISBN 978-9968-31-530-2. Retrieved 14 October 2021.
  5. ^ "Ulate y Figueres". La Nación. Grupo Nación. Retrieved 14 October 2021.
  6. ^ "Pacto Ulate-Figueres". El Espíritu del 48. Retrieved 14 October 2021.
  7. ^ Contreras, Gerardo (November 27, 2009). "ARNOLDO FERRETO SEGURA Y EL PARTIDO COMUNISTA DE COSTA RICA EN LA LUCHA POR LA SEGUNDA Y AUTÉNTICA INDEPENDENCIA NACIONAL". Revista Estudios. 22 (1). Archived from the original on 2013-10-19. Retrieved 14 October 2021.
  8. ^ Contreras, Gerardo (August 2011). "Una lectura crítica a don José Figueres Ferrer. En torno a la Guerra Civil de 1948 y su papel en la Junta Fundadora de la Segunda República". Diálogos Revista Electrónica. 9 (1): 176. doi:10.15517/dre.v9i1.6145. Retrieved 14 October 2021.
  9. ^ Aguilar Bulgarelli, Óscar (2004). Costa Rica y sus hechos políticos de 1948 Problemática de una década. San Pedro, Montes de Oca: EUNED. ISBN 9968-31-350-5.
  10. ^ Guerén, Pablo. "Murió Edgar Cardona Quirós". La Nación, through Wayback Machine. Grupo Nación. Archived from the original on 2015-07-13. Retrieved 14 October 2021.
  11. ^ "Elecciones Regidurías 1953". tse.go.cr (in Spanish). Tribunal Supremo de Elecciones. Retrieved 21 May 2020.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/enwiki/w/index.php?title=1953_Costa_Rican_general_election&oldid=1119224259"