The Broad Front () is a
left-wing
Left-wing politics describes the range of Ideology#Political ideologies, political ideologies that support and seek to achieve social equality and egalitarianism, often in opposition to social hierarchy either as a whole or of certain social ...
political party
A political party is an organization that coordinates candidates to compete in a particular area's elections. It is common for the members of a party to hold similar ideas about politics, and parties may promote specific political ideology, ...
in
Costa Rica
Costa Rica, officially the Republic of Costa Rica, is a country in Central America. It borders Nicaragua to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the northeast, Panama to the southeast, and the Pacific Ocean to the southwest, as well as Maritime bo ...
, the main component of which is the Left Alternative Movement (). They are defined by
progressive,
socialist
Socialism is an economic ideology, economic and political philosophy encompassing diverse Economic system, economic and social systems characterised by social ownership of the means of production, as opposed to private ownership. It describes ...
and
social justice
Social justice is justice in relation to the distribution of wealth, opportunities, and privileges within a society where individuals' rights are recognized and protected. In Western and Asian cultures, the concept of social justice has of ...
ideas. The party is a member of the
São Paulo Forum
São Paulo Forum (FSP), also known as the Foro de São Paulo, is a conference of left-wing political parties and organizations from the Americas, primarily Latin America and the Caribbean. It was launched by the Workers' Party () of Brazil in 19 ...
, part of the
Latin American pink tide of
democratic socialism
Democratic socialism is a left-wing economic ideology, economic and political philosophy that supports political democracy and some form of a socially owned economy, with a particular emphasis on economic democracy, workplace democracy, and wor ...
.
History
In the
2006 general election, they won 1.1% of the legislative votes, and won one seat in the legislature, occupied by
José Merino del Río. In the
2010 election they kept their seat, occupied by
José María Villalta Florez-Estrada. Their presidential nominee was Eugenio Trejos Benavides, then the rector of the
Costa Rica Institute of Technology. For the
2014 election the party's nominee was then-Congressman Villalta, who was receiving a lot of support according to the polls, something unusual in Costa Rica for a left-wing candidate, and even appearing in some as the frontrunner. Nevertheless, Villalta lost momentum after a
negative campaign from
right-wing
Right-wing politics is the range of political ideologies that view certain social orders and hierarchies as inevitable, natural, normal, or desirable, typically supporting this position based on natural law, economics, authority, property ...
party
Libertarian Movement, and the
Citizen's Action Party (PAC)'s recovery after its candidate
Luis Guillermo Solís improved his image in the debates, attracting support from
center-leftist voters.
Villalta ended third in the presidential race with 17% of the votes, below
PLN's nominee
Johnny Araya and PAC's Luis Guillermo Solís, but increased its parliamentary representation from one to nine seats. It also won one mayoral race in the
2016 municipal election in
Barva and in alliance with PAC in
Acosta and
Montes de Oca.
During the
2014–2018 legislative period, the party suffered several minor scandals involving its deputies including
Guanacaste's representative and former
Catholic priest
The priesthood is the office of the ministers of religion, who have been commissioned ("ordained") with the holy orders of the Catholic Church. Technically, bishops are a priestly order as well; however, in common English usage ''priest'' refe ...
Ronal Vargas's resignation after being accused of
sexual harassment
Sexual harassment is a type of harassment based on the sex or gender of a victim. It can involve offensive sexist or sexual behavior, verbal or physical actions, up to bribery, coercion, and assault. Harassment may be explicit or implicit, wit ...
, deputy Ligia Falla's use of her parliamentary office for alleged romantic encounters of her advisors, and
domestic abuse
Domestic violence is violence that occurs in a domestic setting, such as in a marriage or cohabitation. In a broader sense, abuse including nonphysical abuse in such settings is called domestic abuse. The term "domestic violence" is often use ...
accusations against two parties' deputies.
Electoral performance
Presidential
Parliamentary
References
2004 establishments in Costa Rica
Democratic socialist parties in North America
Green parties in North America
Political parties established in 2004
Political parties in Costa Rica
Progressive International
Progressive parties
São Paulo Forum
Socialist parties in Costa Rica
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