US embassy cable - 05SANJOSE1721

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 SAN JOSE 001721 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR WHA/CEN BBOYNTON 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV, PREL, SOCI, CS 
SUBJECT: COALITIONS ATTEMPT TO CHALLENGE TRADITIONAL 
PARTIES 
 
REF: A. SAN JOSE 1298 
     B. SAN JOSE 1408 
     C. SAN JOSE 3042 
 
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SUMMARY 
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1.  Voters, disappointment with the two traditional 
political parties may give several newly-formed parties the 
opportunity to capture a significant number of votes in the 
2006 Presidential and Legislative Assembly elections.  While 
these newly-formed parties are organizing coalitions to 
exploit this opportunity, ideological differences and 
personal ambitions may hinder their ability to form a 
significant political bloc.  Local cantonal parties are 
working to revitalize politics at the grassroots levels.  END 
SUMMARY. 
 
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Traditional Parties Face Exodus, Internal Division 
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2.  The 2004 corruption scandals marked an important turning 
point in the political landscape.  The resulting 
disillusionment has leaders within each of the two 
traditional political parties struggling to maintain cohesion 
in the run-up to the 2006 elections.  Several National 
Liberation Party (PLN) principals have left the party to form 
their own groups.  The Social Christian Unity Party (PUSC) is 
also struggling to quell internal disputes, and there are at 
least two distinct groups whose differences on the party,s 
platform appear irreconcilable. 
 
3.  In addition to the two traditional political parties, 
five new national parties registered to participate in the 
2006 elections (reftels A, B, and C).  Eleven new provincial 
and thirteen new cantonal (local) parties were also 
registered.  The five new national parties, which are 
eligible to run presidential, legislative, and local 
government candidates are: Nationalist Democratic Alliance 
(headed by Jose Miguel Villalobos, a former PUSC minister); 
Homeland First (headed by Juan Jose Vargas, a former 
Citizens, Action Party (PAC) legislator who left the party 
and is now an independent in the Legislative Assembly); 
National Union (headed by the former human rights Ombudsman 
and PUSC party member, Jose Manuel Echandi); Union for Change 
(headed by Antonio Alvarez-Desanti, a former PLN minister and 
president of the Legislative Assembly); and Patriotic Union 
(headed by Jose Miguel Corrales, current independent 
legislator and former PLN presidential candidate (1998) and 
legislator). 
 
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Smaller Parties Look To Form Coalitions 
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4.  Smaller political parties are forming coalitions in hopes 
of drawing support away from the PUSC and PLN by presenting a 
viable alternative to voters who are tired of the traditional 
party leaders and their lack of an articulated platform.  The 
Electoral Code establishes that two or more political parties 
may formally register coalitions until October 21 (election 
day is February 6, 2006).  Informal coalitions can form at 
any time.  According to Justice Luis Sobrado from the Supreme 
Electoral Tribunal (TSE), with a few exceptions neither 
formal nor informal coalitions have had real impact during 
the last fifty years.  Undaunted, the Patriotic Union Party 
and the Nationalist Democratic Alliance formed the Great 
National Alliance (GANA) on June 17, in an effort to 
consolidate their bases of support and become a serious 
political contender for the presidential vote.  Five 
left-wing parties have also organized into the United Left 
(IU) coalition. 
 
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The Left Is Still Struggling For Significance 
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5.  During the 2002 election, no leftist party obtained a 
seat in the Legislative Assembly.  The far-left has been 
almost invisible during the last three years.  Due to 
personal ambitions, party leaders have squandered 
opportunities for growth by engaging in divisive battles for 
control, allowing other political parties with center-left 
characteristics such as the PAC and Patriotic Union to draw 
support away from the left,s more traditional base.  In 
2004, leftist groups began organizing an alliance (the IU), 
which currently consists of a coalition of five parties.  The 
IU is a radical left coalition that opposes CAFTA-DR, fiscal 
reform, labor flexibility, and privatization of state-owned 
institutions (telecommunications, insurance, social security, 
and utilities).  There are currently two other principal 
leftist parties.  Former Legislative Assembly Deputy 
(1998-2002) for the leftist Democratic Force Jose Merino 
founded Broad Front in 2004.  Labor unions, 
environmentalists, and feminists constitute this group. 
Finally, the Democratic Force, founded in 1992, is still in 
existence. 
6.  Democratic Force and Popular Vanguard (part of the IU) 
are registered to participate in the national February 2006 
elections.  Broad Front is registered to run candidates in 
the provincial elections.  In a July 1 meeting, political 
analyst Juany Guzman told Poloff and Pol Assistant that 
Democratic Force is the only leftist party with any chance of 
winning a Legislative Assembly seat in the 2006 elections. 
 
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Differing Ideologies May Hinder Political Alliances 
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7.  During the month of July, four smaller political groups 
with little previous electoral appeal added their support to 
the GANA coalition.  GANA expects to finalize an agreement 
with the Broad Front Party (socialist) and hopes to reach 
agreement with the National Integration Party (center right). 
 According to political analyst Carlos Montenegro, GANA,s 
success will depend on its ability to reach out to Union for 
Change (center-right), National Union (center-right), and the 
PAC (center-left).  In Montenegro,s view, if these parties 
continue working separately then the &tired of politics as 
usual8 vote will be too diluted to counter the traditional 
PLN and PUSC bases of support.  In a July 21 conversation 
with Pol Assistant, Legislative Assembly staffer Rosemary 
Serrano expressed concern that failure to form alliances 
would result in an Assembly as fractured as the current one 
or worse. 
 
8.  Ideological differences are obstructing GANA,s attempt 
to expand the alliance.  Union for Change recently stated it 
would not join the alliance since GANA opposes CAFTA-DR.  PAC 
leaders, who share GANA,s opposition to CAFTA-DR, have also 
publicly rejected the alliance.  GANA representatives 
continue to woo National Union leader Echandi, who is more 
receptive to forming a coalition, though his stand on 
CAFTA-DR is opposite GANA,s. 
 
9.  Besides ideological differences among parties, analyst 
Carlos Montenegro considers that any potential coalition is 
threatened by previous party quarrels and the candidates, 
personal ambitions.  Several former PAC members, for example, 
founded the Patriotic Union.  Leaders of each party have been 
unable to resolve their differences despite their mutual goal 
of defeating Oscar Arias of the PLN, who is the clear 
front-runner according to polls.  Other leaders of newly 
organized parties are so far unwilling to give up their 
individual (and unrealistic) presidential aspirations in 
order to form a coalition.  Corrales (Patriotic Union Party) 
and Villalobos (Nationalist Democratic Alliance) are two 
prime examples. 
 
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Voters Lose Faith in Traditional Parties, Not In Politics 
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10.  Cantonal parties have experienced a significant increase 
in number with thirteen newly registered parties (fifty 
percent increase) since the 2002 election.  Cantonal 
activists believe that voters prefer to vote for people from 
their hometowns who will represent their local interests, as 
opposed to backing traditional party leaders, who are 
considered overly committed to the party,s larger agenda. 
Vladimir Sacasa, president of a recently registered cantonal 
political party, commented on June 27 that citizens have lost 
faith in traditional parties, but not in the political 
process itself.  Cantonal parties running candidates in local 
elections do not receive any campaign financing from the 
state budget (as national parties do); therefore, campaigns 
are financed by local fundraisers operated by volunteers. 
PLN youth movement president Carmen Conejo told Pol Assistant 
on July 20 that cantonal parties are stronger than ever and 
will probably continue to increase in number.  She explained 
that, as a result, the PLN strategy at provincial levels is 
to provide training targeted at young adults to encourage 
their participation in local governments and to counter 
rising voter abstention rates. 
 
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COMMENT 
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11.  An alliance of center and left-leaning parties is trying 
to elbow its way through the crowd of political parties, but 
so far lacks the kind of leadership needed to make it a 
serious political contender.  Its various leaders are unable 
to overcome personal differences to incorporate the plethora 
of small parties and formulate a unified political platform. 
It appears the only element in common amongst the divergent 
leadership is the goal of defeating PLN presidential 
candidate Oscar Arias.  However, the thirteen emerging 
cantonal (local) parties could present opportunities to 
generate actions and alliances between communities and 
political parties at the grass-roots level, thereby 
stimulating citizens, involvement in national elections. 
KAPLAN