2010 Costa Rican general election
General elections were held in Costa Rica on 7 February 2010. The ruling party before the election, the center-left National Liberation Party, put forward former Vice-President Laura Chinchilla as its presidential candidate, while the libertarian, Movimiento Libertario nominated former legislator Otto Guevara. Opinion polls before voting started consistently put Chinchilla as the front-runner, a trend confirmed in the election-night count, which showed her garnering 46.76% of the vote.
The election was supervised by observers from several countries, as well as from the Organization of American States. The incumbent President, Óscar Arias, was ineligible to run for a second consecutive term. This was the last time as of 2019, that the National Liberation Party has gotten more than 30% of the vote, the last time to this date that they have won the Presidency, and the last time it has won any province in what is known as the Central Valley.
Presidential candidates
Candidates included:- Laura Chinchilla Miranda
- Ottón Solís
- Otto Guevara
- Luis Fishman
Parliamentary elections
The swifting from a two-party system to a multi-party system was much more evident in this electionFor the then three major parties; PLN, PAC and ML the voting for the presidential ballot was superior to the support in the legislative, as for example PLN presidential candidate Laura Chinchilla received 46% of the votes and PLN’s legislative ballot only 37%. Similarly PAC’s candidate Ottón Solís with 25% presidential against 17% legislative and Otto Guevara with 20% oppose to 14% legislative. Contrary to PUSC whose candidate Luis Fishman received 3% electoral support while his party received 8%.
This was at the time PAC’s worst electoral result in its history having the smallest faction in the Parliament and ML’s best result with to this date its biggest. PLN only lost one seat. Left-wing Broad Front maintained its only seat in the person of future presidential nominee José María Villalta Florez-Estrada and two Christian parties for the first time had deputies at the same time; Costa Rican Renewal Party and its provincial offshoot National Restoration.
Opinion polling
- CID-Gallup 24 January 2010: Chinchilla 43%; Guevara 30%; Solís 15%; Fishman 8%
- Borge & Asociados for Diario Extra opinion poll January 2010: Chinchilla 38.7%; Guevara 18.3%; Solís 9.6%; Fishman 3.7%
- Demoscopía for Al Día January 2010: Chinchilla 45.1%; Guevara 30.1%; Solís 9.5%; Fishman 3.8%
- December 2009: Chinchilla 36.7%; Guevara 16.2%; Solís 8.5%; Fishman 2.2%
- December 2009: Chinchilla 46.6%; Guevara 19.5%; Solís 8.3%; Fishman 4.1%
- October 2009: Chinchilla 53.0%; Guevara 15.7%; Solís 12.3%; Fishman 1.5%
Results
President
At 9:08 p.m. local time on election day, 7 February second-placed candidate Otton Solis conceded defeat to Laura Chinchilla, who will become Costa Rica's first female president. With approximately 40% of the vote counted, Chinchilla was consistently surpassing the 40% threshold for victory in the first round, leading Solis by 47% to 24%, with third-placed candidate Otto Guevara trailing at 21.5%.By province
Legislative Assembly
By province
Municipal Councils
The elections of municipal councilors of Costa Rica in 2010 were an electoral process held in parallel with the presidential and legislative elections. In them the 495 tenure aldermen and the 495 alternates that conform the 81 Municipal Councils were chosen.The Central Canton of San José, the most populous, named 13 aldermen. Desamparados and Alajuela named 11. Others less populated named 9. Others even smaller appointed 7 council members. Finally, the smallest named 5.
| Party | Aldermen | Range | - |
| National Liberation Party | 196 | National | |
| Citizens' Action Party | 98 | National | |
| Libertarian Movement | 75 | National | |
| Social Christian Unity Party | 54 | National | |
| Accessibility without Exclusion | 23 | National | |
| Costa Rican Renewal Party | 10 | National | |
| 21st Century Curridabat | 4 | Curridabat Canton | |
| Patriotic Alliance | 3 | National | |
| Escazu's Progressive Yoke | 2 | Escazú Canton | |
| Party of the Sun | 2 | Santa Ana Canton | |
| Palmaran Union | 2 | Palmares Canton | |
| Unique Abangaran | 2 | Abangares Canton | |
| Broad Front | 1 | National | |
| National Integration Party | 1 | National | |
| National Restoration Party | 1 | National | |
| Cartago Agrarian Union Party | 1 | Cartago Province | |
| Tarrazú First | 1 | Tarrazu Canton | |
| The Bridge and the Roads of Mora | 1 | Mora Canton | |
| Goicoechea in Action | 1 | Goicoechea Canton | |
| Coronado's Authentic Farmer Party | 1 | Vazquez de Coronado Canton | |
| Fuenteovejuna Civic Party of Tibás | 1 | Tibas Canton | |
| Let's Renew Alajuela | 1 | Alajuela Canton | |
| Atenian Union | 1 | Atenas Canton | |
| Independent Belemite Party | 1 | Belen Canton | |
| Santo Domingo Advance Party | 1 | Santo Domingo Canton | |
| Live Buenos Aires | 1 | Buenos Aires Canton | |
| Active Social Organization | 1 | Osa Canton | |
| Oromontan Autonomous Party | 1 | Montes de Oro Canton | |
| Quepan Action | 1 | Quepos Canton | |
| Ecological Garabito | 1 | Garabito Canton | |
| Independent Siquirres Cantonal Action Party | 1 | Siquirres Canton | |
| Ramonese League Coalicion | 1 | San Ramón Canton | |
| Alfaro Ruiz' Popular Coalition | 1 | Alfaro Ruiz Canton | |
| San Carlan Alliance | 1 | San Carlos Canton | |
| United Barva | 1 | Barva Canton |