Note: Candidates who recieved less than 5% of the vote are excluded from results.

At stake in this election:

• The Presidency of Costa Rica, as well as the 1^st and 2^nd Vice President positions [i]*

*Note: this election is being held concurrently with the Costa Rican Parliamentary election.

Description of government structure [ii]:

• Chief of State: President Carlos ALVARADO Quesada (since 8 May 2018)*.
• Assembly: The unicameral Legislative Assembly (Asamblea Legislativa).

*Note: The President is both the chief of state and head of government. There is also a First Vice President and Second Vice President elected on the same ballot as the president.

Description of electoral system [iii]:

• The president and vice presidents are directly on the same ballot by modified majority popular vote (40% threshold) for a 4-year term.
• The Legislative Assembly has 57 seats and is directly elected in multi-seat constituencies corresponding to the country’s 7 provinces. Members serve 4-year terms.

Last Election [iv]:

• The last presidential election was held on April 1, 2018. Carlos Alvarado Quesada won 60.59% of the vote (1,322,908 votes). Fabricio Alvarado Munoz recieved 39.41% of the vote (860,388 votes).

Main Candidates in this election*: 

• National Liberation Party (PLN) / Partido Liberación Nacional
  • President: Jose Maria FIGUERES
  • First Vice President: Alvaro Ramirez BOGANTES
  • Second Vice President: Laura Arguedas MEJIA
• Social Christian Unity Party (PUSC) / Partido Unidad Social Cristiana
  • President: Lineth SABORIO
  • First Vice President: Franco Pacheco ARCE
  • Second Vice President: Gabriela de San Ramon AGUILAR
• Broad Front (FA) / Frente Amplio
  • President: Jose Maria VILLALTA
  • First Vice President: Patricia Mora CASTELLANOS
  • Second Vice President: Gerardo Hernandez NARANJO
• New Republic Party (PNR) / Partido Nueva República
  • President: Fabricio Alvarado MUNOZ
  • First Vice President: Francisco Prendas RODRIGUEZ
  • Second Vice President: Alexandra Loria BEECHE
• Social Democratic Progress Party (PPSD) / Partido Progreso Social Democrático
  • President: Rodrigo Chaves ROBLES
  • First Vice President: Stephan Brunner NEIBIG
  • Second Vice President: Mary Munive ANGERMULLER
• A Just Costa Rica (CRJ) / Costa Rica Justa
  • President: Rolando Araya MONGE
  • First Vice President: Orlando Guerrero VARGAS
  • Second Vice President: Ana Lupita Mora CHINCHILLA

*Note: there are a total of approximately 27 candidates in this election.

Population and number of registered voters:

• Population: 5,151,140 (July 2021 est.) [v]
• Registered Voters: 3,322,329 (2018 est.) [vi]

Gender Data:

• Female Population: Not available
• Is Costa Rica a signatory to CEDAW: Yes (signed 17 July 1980) [vii]
• Has Costa Rica ratified CEDAW: Yes (ratified 4 April 1986) [viii]
• Gender Quota: Yes, both legislated and voluntary quotas. (Costa Rican election law requires that ‘all delegations, electoral lists and other entities’ must be composed of 50% of each gender.) [ix]
• Female candidates in this election: Yes
• Number of female legislators: 26 out of 57 [x]
• Human Development Index Position: 0.810 (ranked 62) [xi]
• Social Institutions and Gender Index (SIGI) Categorization: Low (28%) [xii]

Disability Data:

• Is Costa Rica a signatory to CRPD: Yes (signed 30 March 2007) [xiii]
• Has Costa Rica ratified CRPD: Yes (ratified 1 October 2008) [xiv]
• Population with a disability: 722,122 (2022 est.) [xv]