At stake in this election:

• 57 seats in the Legislative Assembly (Asamblea Legislativa)

Description of government structure:

• Chief of State: President Oscar ARIAS Sanchez *
• Head of Government: President Oscar ARIAS Sanchez
• Assembly: Costa Rica has a unicameral Legislative Assembly (Asamblea Legislativa) with 57 seats.

* The electoral system is two-round with a 40 percent threshold.

Description of electoral system:

• The President is elected by qualified majority to serve a 4-year term.
• In the Legislative Assembly (Asamblea Legislativa) 57 members are elected through a closed-list proportional representation system to serve 4-year terms.***

*** There are seven constituencies corresponding to Costa Rica's provinces, and seats are apportioned to each in proportion to population. Seats are allocated at the constituency level. Once all lists' quotas have been filled, there are additional considerations for sub-quotas of votes (50 percent of a full quota), and then for remainders less than sub-quotas.

Main parties in the electoral race:

• Party: National Liberation Party (PLN) / Partido Liberación Nacional
  • ​Leader: Francisco Antonio PACHECO Fernández
  • Seats won in this election: 24
  • Seats won in last election: 17
• Party: Citizen Action Party (PAC) / Partido Acción Ciudadana
  • ​Leader: Epsy CAMPBELL Barr
  • Seats won in this election: 11
  • Seats won in last election: 14
• Party: Libertarían Movement Party (PML) / Partido Movimiento Libertario
  • ​Leader: Guillermo MALAVASSI Vargas
  • Seats won in this election: 9
  • Seats won in last election: 6
• Party: Social Christian Unity Party / Partido Unidad Social Cristiana (PUSC)
  • ​Leader: Lorena VASQUEZ Badilla
  • Seats won in this election: 6
  • Seats won in last election: 19
• Party: Costa Rican Renovation Party / Partido Renovación Costarricense (PRC)
  • ​Leader: Justo OROZCO Alvarez
  • Seats won in this election: 1
  • Seats won in last election: 1
• Party: Accessibility without Exclusion / Accesibilidad sin Exclusión
  • ​Leader: Óscar López ARIAS
  • Seats won in this election: 4
  • Seats won in last election: 0
• Party: Broad Front / Frente Amplio
  • ​Leader: José Merino DEL RIO
  • Seats won in this election: 1
  • Seats won in last election: 0
• Party: National Restoration / Restauración Nacional
  • ​Leader: N/A
  • Seats won in this election: 1
  • Seats won in last election: 0
• Party: Patriotic Alliance Party / Partido Alianza Patriótica
  • ​Leader: N/A
  • Seats won in this election: 0
  • Seats won in last election: 0
• Party: Cartaginese Agricultural Union / Unión Agrícola Cartaginés
  • ​Leader: N/A
  • Seats won in this election: 0
  • Seats won in last election: 0
• Party: Heredian Restoration / Restauración Herediana
  • ​Leader: N/A
  • Seats won in this election: 0
  • Seats won in last election: 0
• Party: Alajuelan Restoration / Restauración Alajuelense
  • ​Leader: N/A
  • Seats won in this election: 0
  • Seats won in last election: 0
• Party: Cartaginese Transparency / Transparencia Cartaginés
  • ​Leader: N/A
  • Seats won in this election: 0
  • Seats won in last election: 0
• Party: Ecologist Green / Verde Ecologista
  • ​Leader: N/A
  • Seats won in this election: 0
  • Seats won in last election: 0
• Party: Elderly Alliance Party / Partido Alianza Mayor
  • ​Leader: N/A
  • Seats won in this election: 0
  • Seats won in last election: 0
• Party: Alajuelan Familiar Force / Fuerza Familiar Alajuelense
  • ​Leader: N/A
  • Seats won in this election: 0
  • Seats won in last election: 0
• Party: Workers' and Farmers' Movement / Movimiento de Trabajadores y Campesinos
  • ​Leader: N/A
  • Seats won in this election: 0
  • Seats won in last election: 0

Population and number of registered voters:

• Population: 4,253,877 (July 2009 est)
• Registered Voters: 2,822,491 (December 2009 )

Gender Data:

·         Female Population: 2,268,442 (2010)

·         Is Costa Rica a signatory to CEDAW: Yes (17 July 1980)

·         Has Costa Rica ratified CEDAW: Yes (4 April 1986)

·         Gender Quota: Yes

·         Female candidates in this election: No

·         Number of Female Parliamentarians: 22 (following 2010 elections)

·         Human Development Index Position: 69 (2014)

·         Social Institutions and Gender Index (SIGI) Categorization: Low (2014)

Disability Data:

·         Is Costa Rica a signatory to CRPD: Yes (30 March 2007)

·         Has Costa Rica ratified CRPD: Yes (1 October 2008)

·         Population with a disability: 681,790 (est.)