Costa Rican Renewal Party


The Costa Rican Renewal Party is a Christian political party in Costa Rica.

History

Established in 1995, the party first participated in national elections in 1998, when its presidential candidate, Sherman Thomas Jackson received 1.4% of the vote, whilst they won a single seat in the parliamentary elections, taken by pastor and lawyer Justo Orozco.
Orozco was the party's presidential candidate in 2002, finishing fifth with 1.1% of the vote. The party also retained its sole parliamentary seat in the elections, taken by Carlos Avendaño. However, Avendaño left the party and founded his own.
In the 2006 elections the party's candidate Bolivar Serrano Hidalgo won 3.4% of the vote in the presidential election, but the party lost its parliamentary seat.
During, 2007 Costa Rican Dominican Republic – Central America Free Trade Agreement referendum, it standed with the opposition to the agreement.
In 2010 elections, former Tibás mayor Mayra Gonzalez finished sixth in the presidential contest with 0.7%, but the party regained parliamentary representation, winning a solitary seat, taken by Orozco. Orozco was very polemic during his tenure especially because some of his public comments were accused of homophobia and because he was elected president of the Human Rights Commission of Parliament thanks to his alliance with then ruling PLN. Orozco was candidate again in 2014 gaining similar results yet obtaining 2 seats in Congress.
The party holds very conservative beliefs and is directed toward the evangelical Christian minority, opposing such subjects as abortion, same-sex marriage, marijuana legalization and violent video games.