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, ...

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 {{CostaRica-party-stub