Costa Rican general election, 1962

Costa Rican general election, 1962

← 1958 February 4, 1962 1966 →
Turnout	80%
Nominee Francisco Orlich Rafael Calderón Otilio Ulate Party National Liberation National Republican National Union Home state Alajuela San José San José Popular vote 192,850 135,533 51,740 Percentage 50% 35.3% 13.5%
In green provinces won by Orlich, blue by Calderón
President before election Mario Echandi National Union Elected President Francisco Orlich National Liberation

Mario Echandi
National Union

Francisco Orlich
National Liberation

General elections were held in Costa Rica on February 4, 1962.Francisco Orlich Bolmarcich of the National Liberation Party won the presidential election, whilst his party also won the parliamentary election. Voter turnout was 80.9%.

During Mario Echandi’s presidency Rafael Angel Calderón, his family and supporters in exile, were allowed to return and a general amnesty was called for everyone involved in the still recent Civil War of 1948. Calderón was elected Congressman in the 1958 election. But meanwhile in the past election the National Liberation Party was split due to the separation of the “Rossist” faction in this election Calderon’s candidacy unified PLN and other political allies into a strong anti-Calderonist ballot.

Both former presidents Otilio Ulate from National Union and Calderón himself from National Republican became candidates. PLN’s candidate was, as in 1958, Francisco Orlich, one of the party’s founder, commander of one of the fronts during the civil war and Figueres’ close friend.