Topic summary
2002 Costa Rican general election
1.15pp60.22% (second round)
Araya: 30–40% 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% 70-80%
Solís: 30-40% 40–50%
Tie: 30-40% 40–50%
All 57 seats in the Legislative Assembly
29 seats needed for a majority
1.08pp)General elections were held in Costa Rica on 3 February 2002. For the first time in the country's history, no candidate in the presidential election passed the 40% threshold. This meant a second round of voting had to be held on 7 April which saw Abel Pacheco of the Social Christian Unity Party defeat the National Liberation Party'sRolando Araya Monge.
Many analysts consider this election the beginning of the end of Costa Rica's decades-long two party system. For the first time in many years alternative political forces become relevant in the Parliament and the plenary had three large party groups; PUSC (19), PLN (17) and PAC (14).
While PUSC won the presidential election and the majority in Congress, PLN became the primal opposition force in Parliament. Centre-left PAC with a progressive platform seemed to have gravely affected traditional third forces at the left of the spectrum like Democratic Force, which failed to win any seat on that election. The right-wing Libertarian Movement also increased its representation from one to six deputies while the conservativeCosta Rican Renewal Party retained its one seat.
It was the first time in Costa Rica an evangelical Christian party, the Christian National Alliance, nominated a Catholic, biologist and professor Marvin Calvo Montoya, as its presidential candidate. It was also the last presidential election of the Christian National Alliance.
Despite the close contest, voter turnout was only 69% on 3 February, the lowest since the 1958 elections. For the second round of the presidential elections it fell to 60%, the lowest since 1949.