No menu items!

COSTA RICA'S LEADING ENGLISH LANGUAGE NEWSPAPER

HomeElections 2014Winning on the cheap: Solís campaign spent a quarter of what Araya...

Winning on the cheap: Solís campaign spent a quarter of what Araya spent in the last election

Campaign spending results reveal that Luis Guillermo Solís and the Citizen Action Party (PAC) won Costa Rica’s 2014 presidential elections despite being outspent by a substantial margin.

PAC spent the third most of any party, behind the National Liberation Party (PLN) and the Libertarian Movement Party (ML), according to results obtained by the Supreme Elections Tribunal (TSE). The PLN and its candidate, former San José mayor Johnny Araya, spent $10.8 million compared to Solís’ figure of $2.8 millon. ML and its nominee, Otto Guevara, had the worst return on its investment, spending $4 million and coming in fourth in a first-round vote in February.

PLN outspent PAC in virtually every category, especially in staff salaries, where it maintained almost a 10-to-one advantage. However, PAC reported spending $64,000 on Internet advertising and web design compared to PLN’s $28,000. Prior to February’s Election Day, Solís said that his strong online and social media organizing would help vault him to victory.

Of the top five parties, PAC and FA were the most efficient with their elections spending, getting one vote for every $2.55 and $0.72 spent, respectively. FA’s numbers are misleading, as the TSE did not have their spending reports from January and February. ML had the worst performance on its campaign dollars, spending $10.10 for every vote received. This analysis included votes for president and the Legislative Assembly on Feb. 6, and did not include votes in the runoff election in April.

The TSE figures track spending by parties from October 2013 until the end April. Explore the full spending results below. The comparison with the U.S. election only includes spending from Costa Rica’s top five parties. “Office costs and supplies” refers to rent, electricity, computers, vehicles, fuel and other similar expenses.

Popular Articles

Poás Volcano Crater Glows Red as Eruptions Persist

Poás Volcano’s crater is emitting a red glow, identified by the Volcanological and Seismological Observatory of Costa Rica (OVSICORI-UNA) as burning sulfur, amid ongoing...

Keylor Navas Set to Rejoin Costa Rican National Team for 2025 Gold Cup

Goalkeeper Keylor Navas, a Costa Rican football icon, is poised to return to La Sele for the 2025 Gold Cup, nearly a year after...

Costa Rica President’s State of Nation Address Sparks Controversy

Costa Rican President Rodrigo Chaves delivered his third State of the Nation Address to the Legislative Assembly, employing an unconventional approach that blended multimedia...
spot_img
Costa Rica Tours
Costa Rica Coffee Maker Chorreador
Costa Rica Coffee Maker Chorreador
Costa Rica Travel Insurance
Costa Rica Rocking Chait

Latest Articles