# 1998 Costa Rican general election

General elections were held in Costa Rica on 1 February 1998. Miguel Ángel Rodríguez of the Social Christian Unity Party won the presidential election, whilst his party also won the parliamentary election. Voter turnout was 70%, the lowest since the 1950s.
An economic recession, a teachers' strike due to a pensions' reform and some corruption scandals made President José María Figueres' government highly unpopular. Thus, government endorsed candidate José Miguel Corrales tried to distance himself from Figueres as much as possible. Corrales won over former President of Congress Jorge Walter Coto Molina in PLN's primaries but the discovery of Voter fraud damaged PLN's image and split the party. On the contrary in PUSC, previous candidate Miguel Ángel Rodríguez was seen as the natural nominee for this election, and despite the fact that deputy Luis Fishman was rumored as a possible internal opponent, he finally declined and Rodríguez was nominated without the need of primaries, thus keeping the party united. During Figueres' administration the so call Figueres-Calderón Pact was signed between the leaders of the two main parties (and sons of the two caudillos of the 1948 civil war); him and Rafael Ángel Calderón Fournier (Rodríguez political rival) to approve several mutually beneficial laws for both major parties, something that caused outrage among large segments of the population and started the downfall of the two-party system.

## Results

| Candidate | Candidate | Party | Votes | % |
| | Miguel Ángel Rodríguez | Social Christian Unity Party | 652,160 | 46.96 |
| | José Miguel Corrales Bolaños | National Liberation Party | 618,834 | 44.56 |
| | Vladimir de la Cruz [es] | Democratic Force | 41,710 | 3.00 |
| | Walter Muñoz Céspedes [es] | National Integration Party | 19,934 | 1.44 |
| | Sherman Thomas Jackson | Costa Rican Renewal Party | 19,313 | 1.39 |
| | Álvaro González Espinoza | Democratic Party | 12,952 | 0.93 |
| | Federico Malavassi Calvo [es] | Libertarian Movement | 5,874 | 0.42 |
| | Jorge González Martén [es] | National Independent Party | 4,218 | 0.30 |
| | Alejandro Madrigal Benavides | Christian National Alliance Party [es] | 3,545 | 0.26 |
| | Norma Vargas Duarte [es] | United People | 3,075 | 0.22 |
| | Rodrigo Gutiérrez Schwanhäuser [es] | New Democratic Party [es] | 3,025 | 0.22 |
| | Marina Volio Brenes [es] | National Rescue Party | 2,681 | 0.19 |
| | Yolanda Gutiérrez Ventura | Independent Party [es] | 1,377 | 0.10 |
| Total | Total | Total | 1,388,698 | 100.00 |
| Valid votes | Valid votes | Valid votes | 1,388,698 | 96.98 |
| Invalid votes | Invalid votes | Invalid votes | 36,318 | 2.54 |
| Blank votes | Blank votes | Blank votes | 6,897 | 0.48 |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 1,431,913 | 100.00 |
| Registered voters/turnout | Registered voters/turnout | Registered voters/turnout | 2,045,980 | 69.99 |
| Source: Election Resources |||||

### By province

| Province | Rodríguez % | Corrales % | de la Cruz % | Muñoz % | Thomas % | González % | Malavassi % | Other % |
| San José | 42.94 | 46.72 | 3.33 | 2.16 | 1.81 | 1.15 | 0.58 | 1.31 |
| Alajuela | 46.86 | 45.67 | 3.13 | 0.96 | 1.21 | 0.92 | 0.30 | 0.95 |
| Cartago | 44.35 | 47.69 | 3.16 | 1.37 | 0.81 | 0.99 | 0.29 | 1.34 |
| Heredia | 43.39 | 46.35 | 3.45 | 1.63 | 2.12 | 1.41 | 0.35 | 1.30 |
| Guanacaste | 55.63 | 40.61 | 1.76 | 0.30 | 0.58 | 0.14 | 0.15 | 0.83 |
| Puntarenas | 56.23 | 38.57 | 1.88 | 0.47 | 0.52 | 0.26 | 0.40 | 1.67 |
| Limón | 59.58 | 32.18 | 2.62 | 0.88 | 1.51 | 0.63 | 0.54 | 2.06 |
| Total | 46.96 | 44.56 | 3.00 | 1.44 | 1.39 | 0.93 | 0.42 | 1.30 |

### Parliament

The country was for the time still under a heavy two-party system dynamics and the two main parties at the time; National Liberation Party and Social Christian Unity Party won most of the votes. Nevertheless, some third forces also won seats on the Parliament, among them left-wing Democratic Force won two seats. It was also the first time that liberal Libertarian Movement and Christian conservative Costa Rican Renewal won seats (one each) in the Parliament both for their future presidential candidates Otto Guevara and Justo Orozco respectively. The small party National Integration Party led by medic Walter Muñoz won its only seat in history until the 2018 election.
| | Social Christian Unity Party | 569,792 | 41.18 | 27 | +2 |
| | National Liberation Party | 481,933 | 34.83 | 23 | –5 |
| | Democratic Force | 79,826 | 5.77 | 3 | +1 |
| | Libertarian Movement | 42,640 | 3.08 | 1 | New |
| | National Integration Party | 38,408 | 2.78 | 1 | New |
| | Costa Rican Renewal Party | 27,892 | 2.02 | 1 | New |
| | Democratic Party | 17,060 | 1.23 | 0 | New |
| | Agrarian Labour Action Party | 16,955 | 1.23 | 1 | +1 |
| | United People | 15,028 | 1.09 | 0 | 0 |
| | National Independent Party | 12,794 | 0.92 | 0 | 0 |
| | General Union Party [es] | 12,583 | 0.91 | 0 | 0 |
| | New Democratic Party [es] | 12,476 | 0.90 | 0 | New |
| | National Rescue Party | 9,588 | 0.69 | 0 | New |
| | Christian National Alliance Party [es] | 9,176 | 0.66 | 0 | 0 |
| | National Agrarian Party [es] | 7,497 | 0.54 | 0 | –1 |
| | Cartago Agrarian Union Party | 7,138 | 0.52 | 0 | –1 |
| | Alajuelense Democratic Action | 6,614 | 0.48 | 0 | 0 |
| | Independent Party [es] | 6,025 | 0.44 | 0 | 0 |
| | Change Now | 2,223 | 0.16 | 0 | New |
| | National Convergence Party | 2,197 | 0.16 | 0 | 0 |
| | Authentic Limonense Party | 2,167 | 0.16 | 0 | 0 |
| | Cartago Agrarian Force Party | 1,892 | 0.14 | 0 | New |
| | Independent Guanacaste Party | 1,623 | 0.12 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | Total | 1,383,527 | 100.00 | 57 | 0 |
| Valid votes | Valid votes | 1,383,527 | 96.71 | | |
| Invalid votes | Invalid votes | 32,709 | 2.29 | | |
| Blank votes | Blank votes | 14,343 | 1.00 | | |
| Total votes | Total votes | 1,430,579 | 100.00 | | |
| Registered voters/turnout | Registered voters/turnout | 2,045,980 | 69.92 | | |
| Source: Election Resources ||||||

#### By province

| Province | PUSC | PUSC | PLN | PLN | FD | FD | ML | ML | PIN | PIN | PRC | PRC | PD | PD | PU | PU | Others | Others |
| Province | % | S | % | S | % | S | % | S | % | S | % | S | % | S | % | S | % | S |
| San José | 37.60 | 8 | 36.21 | 8 | 7.31 | 2 | 4.64 | 1 | 4.69 | 1 | 2.44 | 1 | 1.60 | 0 | 0.88 | 0 | 4.63 | 0 |
| Alajuela | 40.89 | 4 | 35.52 | 4 | 5.20 | 1 | 1.40 | 0 | 1.30 | 0 | 1.38 | 0 | 1.08 | 0 | 0.41 | 0 | 12.82 | 1 |
| Cartago | 39.39 | 3 | 36.49 | 3 | 5.14 | 0 | 1.71 | 0 | 2.08 | 0 | 0.97 | 0 | 1.15 | 0 | 1.75 | 0 | 11.32 | 0 |
| Heredia | 39.20 | 3 | 35.85 | 2 | 7.12 | 0 | 2.45 | 0 | 3.22 | 0 | 2.48 | 0 | 1.76 | 0 | 1.12 | 0 | 6.80 | 0 |
| Guanacaste | 50.05 | 3 | 33.66 | 2 | 4.19 | 0 | 1.08 | 0 | 0.55 | 0 | 3.10 | 0 | 0.21 | 0 | 0.62 | 0 | 6.54 | 0 |
| Puntarenas | 50.50 | 4 | 32.42 | 2 | 3.05 | 0 | 3.95 | 0 | 0.97 | 0 | 1.16 | 0 | 0.70 | 0 | 1.60 | 0 | 5.65 | 0 |
| Limón | 47.71 | 2 | 24.30 | 2 | 2.70 | 0 | 3.29 | 0 | 1.11 | 0 | 2.49 | 0 | 0.74 | 0 | 2.88 | 0 | 14.78 | 0 |
| Total | 41.18 | 27 | 34.83 | 23 | 5.77 | 3 | 3.08 | 1 | 2.78 | 1 | 2.02 | 1 | 1.23 | 0 | 1.09 | 0 | 8.02 | 1 |

### Local governments

| Party | Party | Votes | % | Seats | Seats | Seats | Seats |
| Party | Party | Votes | % | Alderpeople | +/– | Municipal syndics | +/– |
| | Social Christian Unity Party | 564,531 | 40.87 | 271 | +39 | 295 | +190 |
| | National Liberation Party | 488,870 | 35.39 | 226 | –43 | 145 | –178 |
| | Democratic Force | 85,313 | 6.18 | 24 | +2 | 0 | 0 |
| | Libertarian Movement | 33,544 | 2.43 | 4 | New | 0 | New |
| | Costa Rican Renewal Party | 25,654 | 1.86 | 0 | New | 0 | New |
| | National Integration Party | 23,896 | 1.73 | 3 | New | 0 | New |
| | Democratic Party | 19,204 | 1.39 | 0 | New | 0 | New |
| | Agrarian Labour Action Party | 15,157 | 1.10 | 7 | +7 | 2 | +2 |
| | National Independent Party | 14,975 | 1.08 | 2 | +2 | 0 | 0 |
| | General Union Party [es] | 13,378 | 0.97 | 3 | –1 | 0 | 0 |
| | New Democratic Party [es] | 12,804 | 0.93 | 2 | New | 0 | New |
| | United People | 12,216 | 0.88 | 1 | +1 | 0 | 0 |
| | National Rescue Party | 11,385 | 0.82 | 2 | New | 0 | New |
| | Escazu's Progressive Yoke | 9,699 | 0.70 | 4 | New | 3 | New |
| | Independent Party [es] | 8,095 | 0.59 | 3 | +3 | 0 | 0 |
| | National Agrarian Party [es] | 7,827 | 0.57 | 5 | –2 | 0 | 0 |
| | 21st Century Curridabat | 5,117 | 0.37 | 2 | New | 1 | New |
| | National Convergence Party | 4,044 | 0.29 | 1 | +1 | 0 | 0 |
| | Alajuelense Democratic Action | 4,027 | 0.29 | 1 | –2 | 0 | 0 |
| | Party of the Sun | 3,628 | 0.26 | 2 | New | 2 | New |
| | Christian National Alliance Party [es] | 2,787 | 0.20 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| | Independent Guanacaste Party | 2,610 | 0.19 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| | Cartago Agrarian Force Party | 2,430 | 0.18 | 0 | New | 0 | New |
| | Authentic Limonense Party | 1,871 | 0.14 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| | Humanist Party of Montes de Oca | 1,870 | 0.14 | 1 | New | 0 | New |
| | Change Now | 1,790 | 0.13 | 0 | New | 0 | New |
| | Independent Belemite Party | 1,386 | 0.10 | 1 | New | 0 | New |
| | New Alajuelita Party | 1,350 | 0.10 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| | Humanist Party of Heredia | 1,128 | 0.08 | 0 | New | 0 | New |
| | Golfitenean Action Party | 694 | 0.05 | 0 | New | 0 | New |
| Total | Total | 1,381,280 | 100.00 | 569 | +34 | 448 | +19 |
| Valid votes | Valid votes | 1,381,280 | 96.55 | | | | |
| Invalid/blank votes | Invalid/blank votes | 49,341 | 3.45 | | | | |
| Total votes | Total votes | 1,430,621 | 100.00 | | | | |
| Registered voters/turnout | Registered voters/turnout | 2,045,173 | 69.95 | | | | |
| Source: TSE ||||||||