1928 Costa Rican general election

1928 Costa Rican general election

12 February 1928

Presidential election

Nominee Cleto González Víquez Carlos María Jiménez Ortiz [es] Party PUN Republican Popular vote 42,765 29,475 Percentage 59.20% 40.80%

President before election Ricardo Jiménez Oreamuno Republican Elected President Cleto González Víquez PUN

General elections were held in Costa Rica on 12 February 1928.^[1] Cleto González Víquez of the National Union won the presidential election, whilst the party also won the parliamentary election, in which they received 53% of the vote.^[2] Voter turnout was 62% in the presidential election and 73% in the parliamentary election.^[3]

Background

On 6 January 1926 the delegates of the Agricultural Party, which was the second most voted party in the previous elections, met at the Moderno Theater of San Jose where they met the resignation of their leader and presidential candidate Alberto Echandi Montero, deciding to constitute a new political organization called the National Union Party, a name that had previously been used to bring Ascension Esquivel Ibarra to power, but which preserves the agricultural green flag (since Esquivel had used a white flag). The party nominated former President Cleto González Víquez, who had also been a diplomat and minister during the Esquivel administration.^[4] González also receives the adhesion of the Reformist Party and of the supporters of Máximo Fernández, self-styled "Historical Republicans".^[4]

For his part, the candidate of the Republican Party is Carlos María Jiménez Ortiz, deputy and chief of action, proclaimed on 7 January 1927 at the Teatro América by the Republican convention. Once the candidates have been designated, the Diario de Costa Rica emphasizes that the ideological differences between both are virtually null.^[4]

There is also a reelection movement that sought to reform the Constitution to allow the consecutive re-election of Ricardo Jiménez Oreamuno, to which Don Ricardo emphatically rejected: "... what would remain the preachings of my whole life in defense of democratic and republican principles? . I prefer a mediocre president of the Republic to the most brilliant of dictators."^[4]

Campaign

The Republicans attacked González Víquez accusing him of belonging to "The Olympus", the generation of intellectuals who had dominated the country for several decades and of having been an illegitimate ruler in his first election. They signaled him as a dark and conspiratorial figure in politics, who had squandered state resources and received bribes when he held public office and even that he was too old to be president.^[4]

But Jimenez Ortiz also has his adversaries, especially the Reformists because he and Father Jorge Volio, the head of reformism, were enemies, and this causes that Jiménez Ortiz can't give a speech in Santa Ana for the boycott of the Reformists. Neither did he have the full support of all Republicans, some of whom were inclined towards González Víquez.^[4]

Don Ricardo Jimenez Oreamuno, as president, had the power to organize the elections. Jiménez promised to make them as transparent as possible. The secret ballot had recently been approved and was implemented for the first time in this election. It was also established that the use of the telegraph would be free that day to file electoral complaints.^[4]

Results

President

Candidate		Party	Votes	%
	Cleto González Víquez	National Union Party	42,765	59.20
	Carlos María Jiménez Ortiz [es]	Republican Party	29,475	40.80
Total			72,240	100.00
Valid votes			72,240	98.84
Invalid/blank votes			845	1.16
Total votes			73,085	100.00
Registered voters/turnout			116,983	62.47
Source: Nohlen

Parliament

Party		Votes	%
	National Union Party	45,198	53.26
	Republican Party	39,662	46.74
Total		84,860	100.00
Valid votes		84,860	99.69
Invalid/blank votes		261	0.31
Total votes		85,121	100.00
Registered voters/turnout		116,983	72.76
Source: Nohlen

References

1. Dieter Nohlen (2005) Elections in the Americas: A data handbook, Volume I, p155 ISBN 978-0-19-928357-6
2. Nohlen, p165
3. Nohlen, p156
4. Oconitrillo García, Eduardo (2004). Cien años de política costarricense: 1902-2002, de Ascensión Esquivel a Abel Pacheco. EUNED. ISBN 9789968313605.