QCOSTARICA – After a failed presidential bid in 2014 – remember, the guy who quit politicking after the first round vote, later saying he would devote himself to farming – Johnny Araya is back in the mayor’s chair in San Jose.
A post he held for more than 20 years while a card carrying member of the Partido Liberacion Nacional (PLN), Araya now will lead Costa Rica’s capital city under the Alianza por San Jose party banner, a party created after he was banned to take party in PLN party politics.
Across the country, with the majority of polls reporting, the Tribunal Supremo de Elecciones (TSE) says the PLN and Partido Unidad Social Cristiana (PUSC) took many of the mayoralties, with the Partido Accion Cuidadana (PAC), taking only six in only five of the seven provinces: San Jose (Moravia and Acosta), Alajuela (Palmares), Cartago (Turrialba), Guanacaste (Hojancha) and Puntarenas (Montes de Oro).
Margarita Bolaños, president of the PAC, explained that the party will enter a period of reflection that will focus on integrating young people into the party structure to develop expertise to attract voters, as well as increasing supporter base. The party boss justified the (poor) results to limited access to resources (financing) to invest in this municipal elections campaign.
Bolaños added that the (poor) perception of the people of the (PAC) government led by Luis Guillermo Solis did not affect the results of the municipal elections, rather attributed it to the great number of parties involved.
For the 2016 Municipal vote there were 6.069 posts up for grab, including mayors, municipal and district councillors, with 31,000 candidates from 60 political parties.
The number of registered voters was 3,199,796 – 1,595,360 men and 1.604.436 women – of 21.431 registered to vote abroad.
Click here for resutls in real time by La Nacion.
The unofficial results of mayoralties:
SAN JOSÉ
San José central – Alianza Por San José
Escazú – Yunta Progresista Escazuceña
Desamparados – PLN
Puriscal – PUSC
Tarrazú – PLN
Aserrí – PLN
Mora – Partido Nueva Generación
Goicoechea – PLN
Santa Ana – PLN
Alajuelita – Renovación Costarricense
Coronado – Republicano socialcristiano
Acosta – P Acción Ciudadana
Tibás – PLN
Moravia – PAC
Montes de Oca – Coalición Gente Montes De Oca
Turrubares – Partido Nueva Generación
Dota – PLN
Curridabat – Curridabat Siglo XXI
Pérez Zeledón – PUSC
ALAJUELA
Alajuela Central – PLN
San Ramón – PLN
Grecia – PLN
San Mateo – PLN
Atenas – PUSC – PLN
Naranjo – PUSC
Palmares – PAC
Poás – Renovación Costarricense
Orotina – PLN
San Carlos – PLN
Zarcero – PLN
Valverde Vega – PUSC
Upala – PLN
Los Chiles – PLN
Guatuso – PLN
CARTAGO
Cartago Central – PLN
Paraíso – PASE
La Unión – PLN
Jimenez – PLN
Turrialba – PAC
Alvarado – PLN
Oreamuno – PLN
El Guarco – PLN
HEREDIA
Heredia Central – PLN
Barva – PLN
Santo Domingo – PLN
Santa Bárbara – PLN
San Rafael – PLN
San Isidro – PÙSC
Belén – PUSC
Flores – PLN
San Pablo – PLN
Sarapiquí – PLN
GUANACASTE
Liberia – PLN
Nicoya – PLN
Santa Cruz – PLN
Bagaces – PLN
Carillo – PLN
Cañas – PLN
Abangares – PLN
Tilarán – PLN
Nandayure – PLN
La Cruz – PUSC
Hojancha – PAC
PUNTARENAS
Puntarenas Central – PUSC
Esparza – PLN
Buenos Aires – PLN
Montes de Oro – PAC
Osa – PLN
Quepos – PUSC
Golfito – PLN
Coto Brus – PUSC
Parrita – PLN
Corredores – PLN
Garabito – PLN
LIMÓN
Limón Central – Autentico Limonense
Pococí – Renovación Costarricense
Siquirres – PLN
Talamanca – PUSC
Matina – PLN
Guácimo – PLN
