Breaking Up an Electoral Tradition

Factors in voting decisions, expectations of candidates, & potential participation rates in a second round of elections were studied in a national survey of 768 voters in the Feb 2002 election in Costa Rica. The results show that interest in electoral politics was generally low. The timing of the voting decision & sources of information on candidates influenced the decision in different ways, depending on whether the voter primarily voted for a candidate, a party, change, specific propositions, or just tradition. The results point to a breakup of electoral traditions, ie, loyalty to the majority parties of Partido Liberacion Nacional (PAN) & Partido Unidad Social Cristiana (PUSC). The results are compared to 1998 & the emerging voting for the Partido Accion Ciudadana (PAC) is discussed. 2 Tables, 5 Graphs, 12 References. Adapted from the source document.