1953 Costa Rican general election

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1953 Costa Rican general election
26 July 1953
Presidential election
← 1948
1958 →
 
Nominee José Figueres Ferrer Fernando Castro Cervantes [es]
Party PLN Democratic
Popular vote 123,444 67,324
Percentage 64.71% 35.29%
President before election

Otilio Ulate

PUN

Elected President

José Figueres Ferrer
PLN

Parliamentary election
← 1949
1958 →
All 45 seats in the Legislative Assembly
23 seats needed for a majority
Party Leader % Seats +/–
PLN José Figueres Ferrer 64.75 30 +27
Democratic Fernando Castro Cervantes [es] 21.19 11 New
PRN Rafael Ángel Calderón Guardia 7.21 3 New
PUN Otilio Ulate Blanco 6.85 1 −34
This lists parties that won seats. See the complete results below.
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A ballot paper from the elections

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% in the presidential election and 68% 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).

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

The

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

CandidatePartyVotes%
José Figueres FerrerNational Liberation Party123,44464.71
Fernando Castro Cervantes [es]Democratic Party67,32435.29
Total190,768100.00
Valid votes190,76896.60
Invalid votes2,3301.18
Blank votes4,3912.22
Total votes197,489100.00
Registered voters/turnout293,67867.25
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

Parliament

PartyVotes%Seats+/–
National Liberation Party114,04364.7530+27
Democratic Party37,32221.1911New
National Republican Party12,6967.213New
National Union Party12,0696.851–34
Total176,130100.00450
Valid votes176,13088.83
Invalid votes13,8727.00
Blank votes8,2684.17
Total votes198,270100.00
Registered voters/turnout293,67867.51
Source: Nohlen

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

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 government

PartyVotes%Seats
AlderpeopleMunicipal
syndics
National Liberation Party115,55364.58163310
Democratic Party42,00223.476414
National Republican Party10,6415.9550
National Union Party10,6365.9450
Turrialba Independent Union Party1030.0600
Total178,935100.00237324
Valid votes178,93590.23
Invalid/blank votes19,3819.77
Total votes198,316100.00
Registered voters/turnout293,67867.53
Source: TSE[11]

References

  1. 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 1 October 2015. Retrieved 13 April 2016. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  4. 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 (27 November 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 19 October 2013. Retrieved 14 October 2021.
  8. doi:10.15517/dre.v9i1.6145
    . Retrieved 14 October 2021.
  9. ISBN 9968-31-350-5
    .
  10. ^ Guerén, Pablo. "Murió Edgar Cardona Quirós". La Nación, through Wayback Machine. Grupo Nación. Archived from the original on 13 July 2015. Retrieved 14 October 2021.
  11. ^ "Elecciones Regidurías 1953". tse.go.cr (in Spanish). Tribunal Supremo de Elecciones. Retrieved 21 May 2020.
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