2014 Costa Rican general election

Costa Rican general election, 2014

February 2, 2014 (2014-02-02)

Nominee Johnny Araya José María Villalta Otto Guevara Party PLN FA PML

Incumbent President Laura Chinchilla PLN

Costa Rica will hold parliamentary and presidential elections on Sunday, 2 February 2014 to elect a new president, two vice presidents, and 57 Legislative Assembly lawmakers. Voting is compulsory in Costa Rica, nevertheless abstentionism was 35 percent in 2006 and 32 percent in 2010. In accordance with Article 132 of the Constitution, the incumbent President, Laura Chinchilla Miranda, is ineligible to run for a second consecutive term.

The ruling party before the election, the centre-left National Liberation Party, has put forward the Mayor of San José Johnny Araya Monge as its presidential candidate. The Libertarian Movement party has nominated former legislator Otto Guevara Guth. The leftist Broad Front has nominated José María Villalta Florez-Estrada.

Opinion polls in December 2013 showed Araya ahead with 37 percent, Villalta close behind at 32 percent, and Guevara trailing at 15 percent, suggesting the likelihood of a run-off vote in February.

Presidential candidates

• Johnny Francisco Araya Monge – Partido Liberación Nacional (PLN), Mayor of San José
• José María Villalta Florez-Estrada – Broad Front (FA)
• Otto Claudio Guevara Guth – Libertarian Movement (ML), candidate in 2006 and 2010
• Luis Guillermo Solís Rivera – Citizens' Action Party (PAC)
• Rodolfo Emilio Piza Rocafort – Social Christian Unity Party (PUSC); PUSC's original nominee Rodolfo Hernández Gómez withdrew in October 2013 and was replaced by Piza
• Óscar Andrés López Arias – Accessibility without Exclusion (PASE)
• José Manuel Echandi Meza – National Advance Party (PAN)
• Walter Muñoz Céspedes – National Integration Party (PIN)
• Sergio Mena Díaz – New Generation Party (PNG)
• José Miguel Corrales Bolaños – New Fatherland Party
• Justo Orozco Álvarez – Costa Rican Renovation Party (PRC)
• Carlos Luis Avendaño Calvo – National Restoration Party (PRN)
• Héctor Monestel Herrera – Workers' Party (PT)

Opinion polls

If no candidate surmounts the 40% threshold, the two candidates who would qualify for the runoff are marked.

Date	Pollster	Johnny Araya (PLN)	Otto Guevara (ML)	Rodolfo Piza (R. Hernández before October 2013) (PUSC)	L.G. Solís (PAC)	J.M. Villalta (FA)	Others
Aug 2013	Borge y Asociados	52%	9.7%	23%	8.2%	3.5%
Aug 2013	CIEP	20.2%	1.4%	12.4%	4.1%	4.5%
Sep 2013	Unimer	27.5%	9.7%	10.6%	4.4%	19%	26%
Oct 2013	CIEP	24%	9.9%	3%	4%	9.7%	1.3%
Nov 2013	Borge y Asociados	26%	16%	4%	4%	19%	26%
Nov 2013	Cid Gallup	45%	15%	8%	10%	21%
Dec 2013	Unimer	19%	19%	5%	8%	22%	11%
Dec 2013	CIEP	17%	10%	3%	5%	15%	1%
Dec 2013	Cid Gallup	37%	15%	5%	9%	32%
Jan 2014	Cid Gallup	39%	18%	5%	7%	26%
Jan 2014	Unimer	20.3%	20.2%	3.6%	5.4%	22.2%	5.8%