1894 Costa Rican general election
4–6 February 1894 (popular vote)
1 April 1894 (electoral college)
Presidential election
 
Nominee Rafael Yglesias Castro José Gregorio Trejos Gutiérrez Félix Arcadio Montero Monge
Party Civil Catholic Union PID
Electoral vote 298 189 62
Percentage 52.84% 33.51% 10.99%
President before election

José Joaquín Rodríguez
Constitutional

 Elected President

Rafael Yglesias Castro
Civil

General elections were held in Costa Rica in 1894.[1] Voters elected members of the electoral college on 4, 5 and 6 February,[2] who in turn elected the president on 1 April.[1]

The elections were quite controversial due to the questionable practices from the government of José Joaquín Rodríguez Zeledón who supported his son-in-law Rafael Yglesias using all sorts of measures to assure his victory, going as far as to even arrest his main rival.[3]

In the previous elections Rodríguez won thanks to the endorsement of the Catholic Church and the up to that point marginalized conservatives over liberal and freemason Ascensión Esquivel Ibarra.[4] However, the intent of the liberal government of Bernardo Soto Alfaro of almost reject the results and appoint Esquivel anyway almost caused a Catholic uprising. Ironically, this date is commemorated in Costa Rica as "Democracy's Day".[5]

After the victory, Rodríguez' party, the Constitutional Party broke away forming two new parties; the ultra-Catholic, conservative and anti-Masonic Catholic Union led by Costa Rican bishop of German origin Bernard Thiel, and the loosely liberal Civil Party led by Rodriguez' son-in-law Yglesias.[3] Rodriguez used all sorts of pressures and trick against Trejos, pressuring the Electoral College (as at the time Costa Rican elections were indirect) and forcing the results in favor of his relative. Soon after Yglesia's victory the Constitution was amended forbidding the existence of religious-based parties, thus making Catholic Union illegal.[3]

Results

According to La Prensa Libre, 318 electors were for Trejos, 180 for Yglesias, while El Heraldo had 321 for Trejos and 190 for Yglesias.[6]

CandidatePartyVotes%
Rafael Yglesias CastroCivil Party29852.84
José Gregorio Trejos GutiérrezCatholic Union18933.51
Félix Arcadio Montero MongeIndependent Democratic Party6210.99
Fadrique GutiérrezAgricultural Party152.66
Total564100.00
Registered voters/turnout720–
Source: TSE

By province

Province Yglesias Trejos Montero Gutiérrez
 San José Province 52 86 29 -
 Alajuela 117 5 9 -
 Cartago Province 11 54 14 -
 Heredia 45 19 6 -
 Guanacaste 57 9 - -
 Puntarenas 3 15 - 15
 Limón 13 1 4 -
Total 298 189 62 15
Source: TSE

References

  1. 1 2 "Historia de las elecciones presidenciales 1824–2014" (PDF). Tribunal Supremo de Elecciones de Costa Rica. 2017.
  2. ↑ Obregón, Clotilde (2000). El proceso electoral y el poder ejecutivo en Costa Rica: 1808-1998. TSE. ISBN 9789977676180. Retrieved 29 December 2018.
  3. 1 2 3 Di Luca, Clara (1977). El Partido Unión Católica; primer partido ideológico de Costa Rica.
  4. ↑ González, Daniel (2014). "Los partidos políticos en Costa Rica: un acercamiento histórico". Boletín de la Asociación Para el Fomento de los Estudios Históricos en Centroamérica. 60. Archived from the original on 2018-12-20. Retrieved 2018-12-21.
  5. ↑ Tribunal Supremo de Elecciones. "Celebración del 7 de noviembre: Día de la Democracia Costarricense". Retrieved 20 December 2018.
  6. ↑ Salazar, O. (2003) El apogeo de la República Liberal en Costa Rica, 1870-1914, p 186 ISBN 9977-67-131-1
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