Skip to observatory content

Partial researchResearch snapshot 2026-09-13. Evidence gaps remain; see Coverage for requirements.

Center forDigital DemocracyElection database
Back to the Center

Office briefing

SAN JOSÉ — Syndic and district council — shared ballot

Tracked current office. Identifiers stay separate from display names.

Costa Rica · SAN JOSÉ / ALAJUELA · other · Syndic and district council — shared ballotCR-D-ALAJUELA-ATENAS-SAN-JOSE

Read the complete original research briefing

TSE vote books joined to official elected-member declarations where geographic and total checks reconcile. Substitutes retained separately. Subsequent replacements and current officeholder status require review.

1. What office, where, and when is the next election?

Geography
SAN JOSÉ / ALAJUELA
Next election
2028-02-06
Linked upcoming event
next-f8203af81709ea4d5b99f07a
Registry qualification
Unknown

2. How certain is that date?

2028-02-06 is expected (not formally called). Day precision. A date without a formal call is not confirmed.

3. Who won earlier selected elections?

2024-02-04

Ordinary · Legal certification not established · list votes

  • LIBERAL PROGRESISTA34.6%
  • UNIDAD SOCIAL CRISTIANA25.1%
  • PROGRESO SOCIAL DEMOCRÁTICO18.9%
  • LIBERACIÓN NACIONAL9.5%
  • NUEVA GENERACIÓN4.2%
  • REPUBLICANO SOCIAL CRISTIANO4.2%
  • AQUÍ COSTA RICA MANDA1.8%
  • NUEVA REPÚBLICA1.8%
Results for event-5a9cb35836834e627e682302
Label / candidateParty codeVotesShareSeatsStatus
LIBERAL PROGRESISTAcosta-rica/Sc1df243471/202423334.6%1Recorded
UNIDAD SOCIAL CRISTIANAcosta-rica/Sc1df243471/202416925.1%2Recorded
PROGRESO SOCIAL DEMOCRÁTICOcosta-rica/Sc1df243471/202412718.9%1Recorded
LIBERACIÓN NACIONALcosta-rica/Sc1df243471/2024649.5%1Recorded
NUEVA GENERACIÓNcosta-rica/Sc1df243471/2024284.2%0 (recorded zero)Recorded
REPUBLICANO SOCIAL CRISTIANOcosta-rica/Sc1df243471/2024284.2%0 (recorded zero)Recorded
AQUÍ COSTA RICA MANDAcosta-rica/Sc1df243471/2024121.8%0 (recorded zero)Recorded
NUEVA REPÚBLICAcosta-rica/Sc1df243471/2024121.8%0 (recorded zero)Recorded

2020-02-02

Ordinary · Legal certification not established · list votes

  • NUEVA GENERACIÓN28.0%
  • UNIDAD SOCIAL CRISTIANA26.4%
  • UNIÓN ATENIENSE18.5%
  • LIBERACIÓN NACIONAL10.6%
  • NUEVA REPÚBLICA6.2%
  • REPUBLICANO SOCIAL CRISTIANO4.0%
  • ACCIÓN CIUDADANA3.7%
  • UNIDOS PODEMOS2.5%
Results for event-3dd6fa76f3a4ad705e53c922
Label / candidateParty codeVotesShareSeatsStatus
NUEVA GENERACIÓNcosta-rica/Sfa91292290/202019828%1Recorded
UNIDAD SOCIAL CRISTIANAcosta-rica/Sfa91292290/202018726.4%2Recorded
UNIÓN ATENIENSEcosta-rica/Sfa91292290/202013118.5%1Recorded
LIBERACIÓN NACIONALcosta-rica/Sfa91292290/20207510.6%1Recorded
NUEVA REPÚBLICAcosta-rica/Sfa91292290/2020446.2%0 (recorded zero)Recorded
REPUBLICANO SOCIAL CRISTIANOcosta-rica/Sfa91292290/2020284%0 (recorded zero)Recorded
ACCIÓN CIUDADANAcosta-rica/Sfa91292290/2020263.7%0 (recorded zero)Recorded
UNIDOS PODEMOScosta-rica/Sfa91292290/2020182.5%0 (recorded zero)Recorded

2016-02-07

Ordinary · Legal certification not established · list votes

  • UNIDAD SOCIAL CRISTIANA32.4%
  • LIBERACIÓN NACIONAL30.1%
  • ACCIÓN CIUDADANA16.9%
  • REPUBLICANO SOCIAL CRISTIANO11.0%
  • FRENTE AMPLIO7.8%
  • MOVIMIENTO LIBERTARIO1.9%
Results for event-8bfc2102f2c102585a20b1e3
Label / candidateParty codeVotesShareSeatsStatus
UNIDAD SOCIAL CRISTIANAcosta-rica/S79669f3e5d/201617132.4%3Recorded
LIBERACIÓN NACIONALcosta-rica/S79669f3e5d/201615930.1%0 (recorded zero)Recorded
ACCIÓN CIUDADANAcosta-rica/S79669f3e5d/20168916.9%1Recorded
REPUBLICANO SOCIAL CRISTIANOcosta-rica/S79669f3e5d/20165811%1Recorded
FRENTE AMPLIOcosta-rica/S79669f3e5d/2016417.8%0 (recorded zero)Recorded
MOVIMIENTO LIBERTARIOcosta-rica/S79669f3e5d/2016101.9%0 (recorded zero)Recorded

4. Competition and volatility

competition index

Provisional imported-series CI

680–100 historical closeness

Actual-event and/or comparability review incomplete

Comparison status: Provisional imported-series comparison; actual-event review open

Method ci.weighted-gap.v1. Inputs: latest_gap=9.509658246656759, oldest_gap=2.27272727272727, previous_gap=1.5558698727015567

pedersen volatility

Provisional volatility

53.69percentage points

Grouped Pedersen lower bound (percentage points). Twelve explicitly named standalone national parties; accent variants normalized. Local parties and coalitions remain Other. No alliance votes are attributed to individual member parties. An interval is withheld if either election has no list mapped to an explicit named group. This is aggregate share change, not individual voter switching. Event review: Actual-event and/or comparability review incomplete

Comparison status: Latest interval

Method pedersen.grouped.v1. Inputs: groups=["PLN","PUSC","PAC","Frente Amplio","PRN","Nueva Republica","PML","PIN","PASE","PRSC","PLP","PPSD","Other"], interval=Latest interval, vectors=[[9.50965824665676,25.11144130757801,0,0,0,1.7830609212481427,0,0,0,4.160475482912333,34.62109955423477,18.87072808320951,5.943536404160476],[10.608203677510609,26.44978783592645,3.6775106082036775,0,0,6.223479490806223,0,0,0,3.9603960396039604,0,0,49.08062234794908],[30.113636363636363,32.38636363636363,16.856060606060606,7.765151515151516,0,0,1.893939393939394,0,0,10.984848484848484,0,0,0]]

pedersen volatility

Provisional volatility

55.3percentage points

Grouped Pedersen lower bound (percentage points). Twelve explicitly named standalone national parties; accent variants normalized. Local parties and coalitions remain Other. No alliance votes are attributed to individual member parties. An interval is withheld if either election has no list mapped to an explicit named group. This is aggregate share change, not individual voter switching. Event review: Actual-event and/or comparability review incomplete

Comparison status: Previous interval

Method pedersen.grouped.v1. Inputs: groups=["PLN","PUSC","PAC","Frente Amplio","PRN","Nueva Republica","PML","PIN","PASE","PRSC","PLP","PPSD","Other"], interval=Previous interval, vectors=[[9.50965824665676,25.11144130757801,0,0,0,1.7830609212481427,0,0,0,4.160475482912333,34.62109955423477,18.87072808320951,5.943536404160476],[10.608203677510609,26.44978783592645,3.6775106082036775,0,0,6.223479490806223,0,0,0,3.9603960396039604,0,0,49.08062234794908],[30.113636363636363,32.38636363636363,16.856060606060606,7.765151515151516,0,0,1.893939393939394,0,0,10.984848484848484,0,0,0]]

pedersen volatility

Provisional volatility

54.5percentage points

Grouped Pedersen lower bound (percentage points). Twelve explicitly named standalone national parties; accent variants normalized. Local parties and coalitions remain Other. No alliance votes are attributed to individual member parties. An interval is withheld if either election has no list mapped to an explicit named group. This is aggregate share change, not individual voter switching. Event review: Actual-event and/or comparability review incomplete

Comparison status: Both intervals mean

Method pedersen.grouped.v1. Inputs: groups=["PLN","PUSC","PAC","Frente Amplio","PRN","Nueva Republica","PML","PIN","PASE","PRSC","PLP","PPSD","Other"], interval=Both intervals mean, vectors=[[9.50965824665676,25.11144130757801,0,0,0,1.7830609212481427,0,0,0,4.160475482912333,34.62109955423477,18.87072808320951,5.943536404160476],[10.608203677510609,26.44978783592645,3.6775106082036775,0,0,6.223479490806223,0,0,0,3.9603960396039604,0,0,49.08062234794908],[30.113636363636363,32.38636363636363,16.856060606060606,7.765151515151516,0,0,1.893939393939394,0,0,10.984848484848484,0,0,0]]

Source-reported control: Unverified. Current tenure requires separate dated evidence.

5. Officeholder evidence

Dated roster observations are not automatically current tenure. The source current-office flag means this office is tracked now, not that the last winner still holds it.

Officeholder observations
PersonRoleAs ofAffiliationPrincipal?
ARIAM MARIA ARCE PORRASSINDICATURA PROPIETARIA2024LIBERAL PROGRESISTAprincipal
LUIS DIEGO CASTILLO LOPEZSINDICATURA SUPLENTE2024LIBERAL PROGRESISTAsubstitute
HORACIO PORRAS GONZALEZCONCEJALÍAS DE DISTRITO PROPIETARIOS(AS)2024UNIDAD SOCIAL CRISTIANAprincipal
KAREN MELISSA PORRAS CEDEÑOCONCEJALÍAS DE DISTRITO PROPIETARIOS(AS)2024UNIDAD SOCIAL CRISTIANAprincipal
GABRIELA ARROYO SUAREZCONCEJALÍAS DE DISTRITO PROPIETARIOS(AS)2024PROGRESO SOCIAL DEMOCRÁTICOprincipal
EILEEN SEGURA PALMACONCEJALÍAS DE DISTRITO PROPIETARIOS(AS)2024LIBERACIÓN NACIONALprincipal
ALVARO ANDRES CASTRO CORTESCONCEJALÍAS DE DISTRITO SUPLENTES2024UNIDAD SOCIAL CRISTIANAsubstitute
ANDREINA RAMIREZ GOMEZCONCEJALÍAS DE DISTRITO SUPLENTES2024UNIDAD SOCIAL CRISTIANAsubstitute
MANUEL ANTONIO RAMIREZ CASTROCONCEJALÍAS DE DISTRITO SUPLENTES2024PROGRESO SOCIAL DEMOCRÁTICOsubstitute
GABRIELA SIBAJA CASTROCONCEJALÍAS DE DISTRITO SUPLENTES2024LIBERACIÓN NACIONALsubstitute
HUGO ALBERTO CUBERO ROJASSÍNDICOS(AS) PROPIETARIO2020NUEVA GENERACIÓNprincipal
ANDREINA RAMIREZ GOMEZSÍNDICOS(AS) SUPLENTE2020NUEVA GENERACIÓNsubstitute
VICTOR HUGO PINEDA CHAVARRIACONCEJALES DE DISTRITO PROPIETARIOS(AS)2020UNIDAD SOCIAL CRISTIANAprincipal
MARJORIE CAMPOS GUZMANCONCEJALES DE DISTRITO PROPIETARIOS(AS)2020UNIDAD SOCIAL CRISTIANAprincipal
ALEXIS LOPEZ QUESADACONCEJALES DE DISTRITO PROPIETARIOS(AS)2020UNIÓN ATENIENSEprincipal
MARIA DEL MILAGRO SIBAJA CASTROCONCEJALES DE DISTRITO PROPIETARIOS(AS)2020LIBERACIÓN NACIONALprincipal
HORACIO PORRAS GONZALEZCONCEJALES DE DISTRITO SUPLENTES2020UNIDAD SOCIAL CRISTIANAsubstitute
BERTALIA DE LOS ANGELES PALMA GARITACONCEJALES DE DISTRITO SUPLENTES2020UNIDAD SOCIAL CRISTIANAsubstitute
YENORY SOTO AVILACONCEJALES DE DISTRITO SUPLENTES2020UNIÓN ATENIENSEsubstitute
JOSE CARLOS CAMPOS MORACONCEJALES DE DISTRITO SUPLENTES2020LIBERACIÓN NACIONALsubstitute
SARA CECILIA CUBERO ZUÑIGASÍNDICOS(AS) PROPIETARIA2016UNIDAD SOCIAL CRISTIANAprincipal
OSCAR ANDRES VIQUEZ GARITASÍNDICOS(AS) SUPLENTE2016UNIDAD SOCIAL CRISTIANAsubstitute
ANA LAURA CABALLERO AGUILARCONCEJALES DE DISTRITO PROPIETARIOS(AS)2016UNIDAD SOCIAL CRISTIANAprincipal
JOSE RAFAEL ARCE ARIASCONCEJALES DE DISTRITO PROPIETARIOS(AS)2016UNIDAD SOCIAL CRISTIANAprincipal
JONATHAN ANTONIO ZUÑIGA PORRASCONCEJALES DE DISTRITO PROPIETARIOS(AS)2016ACCIÓN CIUDADANAprincipal
MARCO TULIO CHAVES VENEGASCONCEJALES DE DISTRITO PROPIETARIOS(AS)2016REPUBLICANO SOCIAL CRISTIANOprincipal
HORACIO PORRAS GONZALEZCONCEJALES DE DISTRITO SUPLENTES2016UNIDAD SOCIAL CRISTIANAsubstitute
MARIA FERNANDA ARROYO HERRERACONCEJALES DE DISTRITO SUPLENTES2016UNIDAD SOCIAL CRISTIANAsubstitute
RANDALL GERARDO ZUÑIGA PORRASCONCEJALES DE DISTRITO SUPLENTES2016ACCIÓN CIUDADANAsubstitute
LUIS GARCIA BOLAÑOSCONCEJALES DE DISTRITO SUPLENTES2016REPUBLICANO SOCIAL CRISTIANOsubstitute

6. Polling context

No local poll supplied.

7. Unresolved issues and sources

  • other · open

    Published province heading correction: {"issue": "Published province heading correction", "year": 2020, "area": "Heredia", "source_id": "S41377daad8", "resolution": "The amendment corrects CARTAGO to HEREDIA in the second table heading. It changes no votes, winners or seats; the original declaration is joined to Heredia."}

Sources

Cite this record

Center for Digital Democracy. “SAN JOSÉ — Syndic and district council — shared ballot.” Subnational Election Observatory, releaselatin-america-fe5e91689def, snapshot 2026-09-13. /electiondatabase/offices/CR-D-ALAJUELA-ATENAS-SAN-JOSE. Sources: costa-rica--url-ae6cfb21525f974d8912a00e, costa-rica--url-9b0bf8940eb485b811da317e, costa-rica--url-f8a1e09c9e89a7e5e9c55114, costa-rica--Sc1df243471, costa-rica--S51b819559c, costa-rica--Sfa91292290, costa-rica--S4f56e4854d, costa-rica--S79669f3e5d, costa-rica--S0287240cf5.