REPRODUCED AT THE NATIONAL ARCHIVES DECLASSIGED Authority State Letter Whz By me NARA Date 24981 TO Office Memorandum UNITED STATES GOVERNMENTACT CCA Mr Coobrana ARA. Mr. Butler Date: February 25, 1946 CCA. Mr. Wise Costa Rica. Results of Midterm Congressional Elections FROM. SUBJECT: Elections were conducted with relative impartiality and with almost a complete lack of disorder. Even though a certain amount of chicanery took place, including the reported buying br the Government of some voteg. the Embassy believes there can be no question that the elections were in all respects fairer than those of 1944. Several members of the Opposition gay they actually gained more seats than they had anticipated.
Apparently, the Opposition will lessen its criticism of these elections and turn its attention to those of 1948. The orderliness of the elections has increased the President prestige and he has been commended (even by some of the Opposition) for a calm and collected way of organizing Government machinery and it is believed that any unfairness which may have existed.
was due to the influence of professional politicians within the Administration, The total membership of the Costa Rican Congress will be 46. hall, or 23. or the seats were filled in the new elections as follows: 12 National Republican Party Opposition Vanguardistas The new Congress will have 24 nominal National Republicans, 17 Opposition Congressmen and Vanguardista Deputies. Thus the Administration party, while enjoying a plurality, does not in fact have a working majority. The Administration apparently can count on maintaining its alliance with Mora and thus Slikely maintain a fairly firm grip on the legislature. The Vanguardistas will be in a stronger position than previously and should Mora break with President Picado a combination of the former forces with those of the Opposition could at any time come within one vote of blocking Government sponsored legislation. One of the Congressmen elected on the National Republican Party ticket is actually a member of the Vanguardia Party. The National Republican Party in the elections loat delegates, the Opposition gained and the Vanguardias gained President Picado heretofore has been able to count upon a portion of the National Republican representatives as his personal following, while the majority has been moro receptive to the lead of Calderon Guardia, brothers. The feeling now is that the Calderonistas have by the recent elections further solidified their hold upon the party, although obviously not upon Congress as a whole. The President, in order to obtain favorable TD SUNT TO PR