This article lists political parties in Costa Rica. Costa Rica used to have a two-party system, which meant that there were two dominant political parties, the Social Christian Unity Party and the National Liberation Party, with extreme difficulty for anybody to achieve electoral success under the banner of any other party. After the 2002 elections and the strong showing of the brand-new Citizens' Action Party, it was considered very likely that the old two-party system was on the verge of giving way to a multi-party system. Several other parties have gained prominence since then, and the 2006 elections made it clear that Costa Rica is now a multi-party system.
Starting in the 2000s, disagreement about many of the neo-liberal policies promoted by the dominant PLN caused the traditional party system of alliances among a few parties to fracture.[1] Although still a stable country, the shift toward many political parties and away from PUSC and PLN is a recent development.[2] Various elected positions within the country, such as mayors and city council members, are held by many different national and local political parties.
| Political Parties in Legislative Assembly of Costa Rica, 2018-2022 | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Abbr. | Founded | Deputies | Ideology | Position | |||
| National Liberation Party Partido Liberación Nacional | PLN | 1951 | Social democracy, Third Way, Figuerism | Centre to centre-left | ||||
| Social Democratic Progress Party Partido Progreso Social Democrático | PPSD | 2018 | Social democracy, Social conservatism, Economic liberalism | Centre to centre-right | ||||
| Social Christian Unity Party Partido Unidad Social Cristiana | PUSC | 1983 | Christian democracy, Liberal conservatism, Economic liberalism | Centre-right | ||||
| New Republic Party Partido Nueva República | PNR | 2019 | Conservatism, Social conservatism, Christian right | Right-wing to far-right | ||||
| Liberal Progressive Party Partido Liberal Progresista | PLP+ | 2016 | Libertarianism, Classical liberalism | Centre-right | ||||
| Broad Front Frente Amplio | FA | 2004 | Democratic socialism, Socialism of the 21st century, Progressivism | |||||
| Nationally Unrepresented Political Parties | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party Name (English) | Party Name (Spanish) | Ideology | Position | Historic Notes | |||
| Accessibility without Exclusion | Partido Accesibilidad sin Exclusión (PASE) | Single issue, rights for people with disabilities, Social conservatism | Right-wing | Founded 2001. | |||
| Citizens' Action Party | Partido Acción Ciudadana (PAC) | Progressivism, social democracy, Christian democracy | Centre-left to left-wing (with some centre-right factions) | Founded 2001. Held power between 2014 and 2022. | |||
| Christian Democratic Alliance | Alianza Demócrata Cristiana (ADC) | Conservativism, Christian democracy, provincial (Cartago) | Right-wing | Founded in 2012. | |||
| Costa Rican Renewal Party | Partido Renovación Costarricense (PRC) | Christian politics, Social conservatism | Right-wing | Founded in 1995. | |||
| Democratic Force | Fuerza Democrática | Socialism | Left wing | Founded in 1994. Held three seats from 1998-2002. Defunct as of 2006. Refounded in 2021 but unable to nominate candidate. | |||
| Libertarian Movement | Partido Movimiento Libertario (PML) | Classical liberalism, Liberal conservatism, Libertarianism (originally) | Right-wing | Founded 1994. | |||
| National Restoration Party | Partido Restauración Nacional (PREN) | Christian politics, social conservatism | Right-wing to far-right | Founded 2005 | |||
| National Integration Party | Partido Integración Nacional (PIN) | Social conservatism, economic nationalism | Right-wing | Founded 1998 | |||
| New Generation Party | Partido Nueva Generación (PNG) | Economic liberalism, social conservatism, anti-immigration | Centre-right to right-wing | Founded in 2012. | |||
| Social Christian Republican Party | Partido Republicano Social Cristiano (PRSC) | Conservatism, Christian democracy, classical liberalism | Centre-right | Founded 2014 | |||
| Local parties | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party Name (English) | Party Name (Spanish) | Canton | Historic Notes | |||
| Party of the Sun | Partido del Sol | Santa Ana | Founded in 1997. Originally single issue to oppose trash dump construction. Controlled Santa Ana City Council for four consecutive terms. | |||
| 21st Century Curridabat | Curridabat Siglo 21 | Curridabat | Founded in 1997, controlled Curridabat Mayoralty and City Council for four consecutive terms | |||
| Escazu's Progressive Yoke | Yunta Progresista Escazuseña | Escazu | Founded in 1996, controlled Escazu Mayoralty and City Council for three consecutive terms. | |||
| Cartago Green Party | Partido Verde de Cartago | Cartago | Founded in 2004. | |||
| Defunct Political Parties | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party Name (English) | Party Name (Spanish) | Ideology | Historic Notes | |||
| National Union Party | Partido Unión Nacional (PUN) | Conservatism, Center-right | Founded in 1901. Has existed in various forms and coalition parties until 2010. Won the presidency four times (1902, 1928, 1948, 1958, 1966). 1948 election was unrecognized. Defunct as of 2010. | |||
| National Rescue Party | Partido Rescate Nacional (PRN) | Center-left, Moderate socialist | Founded in 1996. Held one legislative seat in 2006. Defunct as of 2010. | |||
| Popular Vanguard Party | Partido Vanguardia Popular (PVP) | Marxist–Leninist, Far-left | Founded in 1931. Existed as The Workers' and Farmers' Party and Communist Party of Costa Rica. | |||
| National Unification Party | Partido Unificación Nacional | Center-right, liberal-conservative | Founded in 1966 as joint of National Republican and National Union. Defunct as of 1978. | |||
| National Republican Party | Partido Republicano Nacional | Centrist, personal | Founded in 1901. Often called "Calderonistas." Joined Unity Coalition in 1978, which later became PUSC. Defunct as of 1978. | |||
| Agrarian Labour Action Party | Partido Acción Laborista Agrícola (PALA) | Agrarian, Provincial Alajuela | Founded in 1990. Held one seat in 1998. Defunct as of 2007. | |||