Editing Libertarian Movement (Costa Rica)

{{Short description|Political party in Costa Rica}}
{{Infobox political party
| country = Costa Rica
| logo = [[File:Bandera del Movimiento Libertario.svg|275px|border]]
| colorcode = {{party color|Libertarian Movement (Costa Rica)}}
| name = Libertarian Movement Party
| native_name = Partido Movimiento Libertario
| foundation = May 1994
| ideology = [[Libertarian conservatism]]<br />[[Social conservatism]]<ref>{{Citation |first=María Isabel |last=Sanchez |title=No clear frontrunner as Costa Ricans vote for new president |newspaper=Digital Journal |date=2 February 2014 |url=http://digitaljournal.com/news/world/no-clear-leader-as-costa-ricans-vote-for-new-president/article/368583}}</ref><ref name="Abort">{{Citation |title=Liberal and conservative ideologies clashed in first official presidential debate |newspaper=Inside Costa Rica |date=6 January 2014 |url=http://insidecostarica.com/2014/01/06/liberal-conservative-ideologies-clashed-first-presidential-debate/ |access-date=15 March 2014 |archive-date=15 March 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140315214336/http://insidecostarica.com/2014/01/06/liberal-conservative-ideologies-clashed-first-presidential-debate/ |url-status=dead }}</ref><br />[[Catholic social teaching]]{{dubious|date=December 2023}}<br />[[Economic liberalism]]
| position = [[Right-wing politics|Right-wing]]
| affiliation1_title = Regional affiliation
| affiliation1 =
| colours = [[Red]]
| seats1_title = [[Legislative Assembly of Costa Rica|Legislative Assembly]]
| seats1 = {{Composition bar|0|57|hex={{party color|Libertarian Movement (Costa Rica)}}}}
}}
{{Libertarianism sidebar}}

The '''Libertarian Movement Party''' ({{langx|es|Partido Movimiento Libertario}}; '''PML''') is a political party based on [[libertarian conservatism]] in [[Costa Rica]]. It was founded in May 1994. After an important protagonism during early 2000s with its [[Perennial candidate|perennial nominee]] [[Otto Guevara]] among the main candidates and reaching third place in [[2006 Costa Rican general election|2006]] and [[2010 Costa Rican general election|2010]], it was affected by several corruption scandals and lack of funds, the party gradually suffered a debacle in [[2014 Costa Rican general election|2014]] ending in fourth on the presidential ticket, and fifth in Parliament. Later losing all its mayors in the [[2016 Costa Rican municipal elections|mid-term local election of 2016]], to finally having bad results in [[2018 Costa Rican general election|2018]] with Guevara's candidacy reaching only 1% of support and losing all seats in Congress.

== History ==

Founded by non-partisan liberals from the Academy and liberal defectors of [[Social Christian Unity Party]], contested the [[1998 Costa Rican general election|1998 election]] with Federico Malavassi as candidate receiving only 0.4% of the vote but succeeding in getting attorney [[Otto Guevara]] elected as member of the [[Legislative Assembly of Costa Rica|Legislative Assembly]].<ref name="San José University">{{cite web|title=Costa Rica|url=http://www.sjsu.edu/faculty/watkins/costarica.htm|website=San José University|access-date=27 March 2016|archive-date=13 March 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160313155705/http://www.sjsu.edu/faculty/watkins/costarica.htm|url-status=dead}}</ref> In this time the party was strongly [[libertarian]] and was in favor of minimal government (something quite polemic in a [[welfare state]] like Costa Rica when even the right-wing parties as the Social Christians tend to accept [[social programs]] and [[government intervention]]<ref name="San José University"/>), legalization of [[recreational drugs]], [[same-sex marriage]], [[abortion]] and the like.<ref name="San José University"/>

In 2002, Guevara unsuccessfully ran for [[President of Costa Rica|president]] (winning 1.7% of the vote); at the [[2006 Costa Rican parliamentary election|legislative elections]], the party won 9.3% of the popular vote and six out of 57 seats. A few weeks after taking office, one Congressman left the party and became independent, leaving PML with five seats. In 2006, Guevara again unsuccessfully[[2006 Costa Rican presidential election|ran for president]] (winning 8.4% of the vote); at the legislative elections, the party won 9.1% of the popular vote and six out of 57 seats.<ref name="San José University"/> Evangelical pastor Fernando Alexis Castillo Villanueva endorsed the party in this period.<ref>{{Cite news|title=La Gaceta|url=https://pani.go.cr/images/Archivo_Central/Reglamento-CIAP.pdf |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221009/https://pani.go.cr/images/Archivo_Central/Reglamento-CIAP.pdf |archive-date=2022-10-09 |url-status=live|access-date=2020-08-22}}{{Dead link|date=March 2021 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> In the [[2010 Costa Rican general election|2010 general election]], Guevara was again the PML's presidential candidate and received 20% of the popular vote; it also increased its number of deputies to nine (even so three of these deputies defects from the party before the end of the legislative period). At the municipal level the party obtain one mayor in [[2006 Costa Rican municipal elections|2006]] and two in [[2010 Costa Rican municipal elections|2010]].<ref name="San José University"/>

In its [[2014 Costa Rican general election|2014 electoral campaign]], the party took a more [[socially conservative]] position, totally opposing the legalisation of [[abortion]]<ref name="Abort"/> and rejecting [[Homosexual marriage|homosexual couples]]' right to a marriage license.<ref>{{Cite news |title=¿Ha sido consistente Guevara frente al matrimonio gay? |newspaper=El Financiero |url=http://media.elfinancierocr.com/retealcandidato/detallereto/Reto-a-Otto-Guevara%3A-%C2%BFHa-sido-consistente-Guevara-frente-al-matrimonio-gay%3F |access-date=2014-05-30 }}{{dead link|date=March 2020|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref>

The party suffered a debacle in the 2014 election, as was relegated to fourth place after [[Citizens' Action Party (Costa Rica)|PAC]], [[National Liberation Party (Costa Rica)|PLN]] and [[Broad Front (Costa Rica)|FA]] parties.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Buckman|first1=Robert T.|title=Latin America 2014|date=20 August 2014|publisher=Rowman & Littlefield |isbn=9781475812282|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=LqVjBAAAQBAJ&q=broad+front+history+costa+rica&pg=PA148|access-date=27 March 2016}}</ref> It also reduced its congressional representation to less than half (four seats),<ref>{{cite book|last1=Turner|first1=Blair|title=Latin America 2015-2016|date=20 August 2015|publisher=Rowman & Littlefield |isbn=9781475818710|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=o8tcCgAAQBAJ&q=broad+front+history+costa+rica&pg=PA148|access-date=27 March 2016}}</ref>  It was aldo unable to elect any mayor in the 2016 mid-term [[2016 Costa Rican municipal elections|municipal election]]. This electoral debacle was also costly, as the party was unable to pay some of its campaign debts to both workers, [[Caja Costarricense del Seguro Social|Social Security]], loaners and Banks. As previously, in 2015 another deputy defects; [[Carmen Quesada Santamaría|Carmen Quesada]], who declares herself independent.

Also in 2015, several party members went to trial after being accused of fraud by the State, apparently trying to trick the [[Tribunal Supremo de Elecciones de Costa Rica|Electoral Tribunal]] in paying for trainings that were already cover by the [[Friedrich Naumann Foundation]].<ref>{{cite news|last1=Molina|first1=Tabatha|title=Libertarian Party VP in Costa Rica Faces 16 Years for Fraud|url=https://panampost.com/thabata-molina/2015/10/07/libertarian-party-vp-in-costa-rica-faces-16-years-for-fraud/|access-date=27 March 2016|agency=Panama Post|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160407234847/https://panampost.com/thabata-molina/2015/10/07/libertarian-party-vp-in-costa-rica-faces-16-years-for-fraud/|archive-date=7 April 2016|url-status=dead}}</ref> Judges sentenced party's vice president, treasurer and accountant to eight years in prison.

For the [[2018 Costa Rican general election|2018 general election]], the party held the first primary election in their history, due to there being more than one members aspiring for the party's nomination for the presidency. The two pre-candidates were Otto Guevara, running for the fifth time, this time under a [[right-wing populism|right-wing populist]] tone, inspired by the campaigns of [[Donald Trump]].<ref>{{cite news|last1=Mata|first1=Esteban|title=Otto Guevara: Trump's campaign gives me new inspiration.|url=https://www.nacion.com/el-pais/politica/otto-guevara-la-campana-de-donald-trump-nos-da-mas-brios/PELNIZFFMFBNBJ7FCYPHILEB5M/story/|access-date=26 January 2018|agency=La Nación}}</ref> The other candidate was Natalia Díaz, a young, first-time deputy, who promised, if elected, she'll bring a new face to the party and renew its structure and administration. Guevara won with 59.49% of the votes.

Due to previous fraud allegations against the party, Otto Guevara's campaign had difficulty finding a bank willing to give the party a loan for campaigning. This changed on January 20, when Promérica Bank loaned the party 500 million colones for the purpose of financing their electoral campaign.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Madrigal|first1=Rebeca|title=Libertarian Movement will get 500 million colones from Promérica Bank in order to fund their last campaign in the days before the election|url=https://www.nacion.com/el-pais/politica/libertario-obtendria-500-millones-en-banco/FWOXFQRSA5CW3I6K35EQHEA3N4/story/|access-date=26 January 2018|agency=La Nación}}</ref> In November 2019 Guevara announced the foundation of a new political party named Liberal Union<ref>{{cite news|last1=Arrieta|first1=Esteban|title=Otto Guevara funda nuevo partido para regresar a la Asamblea|url=https://www.larepublica.net/noticia/otto-guevara-funda-nuevo-partido-para-regresar-a-la-asamblea|access-date=6 February 2025|work=[[La República (Costa Rica)|La República]]|date=11 November 2019|language=es|trans-title=Otto Guevara founds new party to return to the Assembly|publisher=|location=San José, Costa Rica}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last1=Herrera|first1=Juan José|title=Unión Liberal: el nuevo partido con el que Otto Guevara regresa a la política|url=https://teletica.com/241893_union-liberal-el-nuevo-partido-con-el-que-otto-guevara-regresa-a-la-politica|access-date=12 November 2019|agency=Teletica|date=11 November 2019}}</ref> as the Libertarian Movement is unable to pay its debts.<ref name="teletica.com"/><ref name="Longs">{{cite news|last1=Arrieta|first1=Esteban|title=Otto Guevara anhela regresar a la Asamblea Legislativa en 2022|url=https://www.larepublica.net/noticia/otto-guevara-anhela-regresar-a-la-asamblea-legislativa-en-2022|access-date=27 October 2019|work=La República|date=18 September 2019|language=es|trans-title=Otto Guevara longs to return to the Legislative Assembly in 202|publisher=|location=San José, Costa Rica}}</ref><ref name="larepublica.net"/>

In 2019, Guevara announced that the party would not take part in elections anymore and that a new formation would be founded named Liberal Union.<ref name="teletica.com">{{cite news|last1=González|first1=Rodolfo|title=Otto Guevara quiere regresar a la Asamblea con nuevo partido|url=https://teletica.com/240021_otto-guevara-quiere-regresar-a-la-asamblea-con-nuevo-partido|access-date=27 October 2019|agency=Teletica|date=2019}}</ref><ref name="Longs"/><ref name="larepublica.net">{{cite news|last1=Arrieta|first1=Esteban|title=Otto Guevara piensa en nuevo partido y desaparecer deudas de un plumazo|url=https://www.larepublica.net/noticia/otto-guevara-piensa-en-nuevo-partido-y-desaparecer-deudas-de-un-plumazo|access-date=27 October 2019|work=La República|date=22 March 2018|language=es|trans-title=Otto Guevara thinks about a new party and disappearing debts with the stroke of a pen|publisher=|location=San José, Costa Rica}}</ref>

The party's candidacy was taken originally by credit tycoon Carlos Valenciano Kamer, however he resign soon after arguing health issues. The candidacy was then taken by former president of the Arias Foundation Luis Alberto Cordero Arias receiving only a little more than 3,000 votes and being the least voted candidate of all 25 in that election.

==Policy positions==
The political party generally has a moderately libertarian perspective on policy issues, although sometimes policy proposals on social issues are more conservative, than libertarian, i.e. a legislator introduced legislation that would have banned same-sex couples from adopting or having custody of children.

During the 2014 campaign, the party expressed opposition to abortion and same-sex marriage, although congressman and presidential candidate [[Otto Guevara]] has since said that his major concern about legalizing gay marriage is that the debate over such libertarian legislation would distract the nation from more important matters.<ref>[https://panampost.com/belen-marty/2015/09/17/costa-ricas-libertarian-lawmakers-show-latin-america-how-its-done/ "Costa Rica's Libertarian Lawmakers Show Latin America How It's Done"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190320213604/https://panampost.com/belen-marty/2015/09/17/costa-ricas-libertarian-lawmakers-show-latin-america-how-its-done/ |date=2019-03-20 }}.</ref>

On most policy issues, the party favors moderate libertarian reforms such as:<ref>[http://www.tse.go.cr/pdf/normativa/estatutos/movimientolibertario.pdf "Estatuto"].</ref>
* Moderate intervention of the State in health, education, infrastructure and other areas
* Break up of all of the state-owned monopolies and eliminate legal barriers on private economic activities
* Provide a low flat tax for the income produced within the country, eliminate many of the current taxes
* Free trade – eliminate tariffs and barriers to the entry of goods
* Freedom to choose the currency that consenting individuals want
* Freedom to choose your own doctor within the social security system
* Strengthen individual pension accounts
* Freedom of parents to choose schools through vouchers
* Respect for private property
* Reduction of the participation of government in the economy
* Freedom of speech and press
* Transfer of responsibility from central government to local
* Strengthening of immigration, particularly from Nicaraguans

==Electoral performance==
===Presidential===
{| class=wikitable style="text-align: right;"
|-
!rowspan=2|Election
!rowspan=2|Candidate
!colspan=4|First round
!colspan=4|Second round
|-
!Votes
!%
!Position
!Result
!Votes
!%
!Position
!Result
|-
! [[1998 Costa Rican general election|1998]]
| Federico Malavassi
| 5,874
| 0.42%
| 7th
| {{no2|Lost}}
| colspan=4 {{N/A}}
|-
! [[2002 Costa Rican general election|2002]]
| rowspan="5" | [[Otto Guevara]]
| 25,815
| 1.69%
| {{increase }} 4th
| {{no2|Lost}}
| colspan=4 {{N/A}}
|-
! [[2006 Costa Rican general election|2006]]
| 137,710
| 8.48%
| {{increase}} 3rd
| {{no2|Lost}}
| colspan=4 {{N/A}}
|-
! [[2010 Costa Rican general election|2010]]
| 384,540
| 20.83%
| 3rd
| {{no2|Lost}}
| colspan=4 {{N/A}}
|-
! [[2014 Costa Rican general election|2014]]
| 233,064
| 11.34%
| {{decrease}} 4th
| {{no2|Lost}}
| colspan=4 {{N/A}}
|-
! [[2018 Costa Rican general election|2018]]
| 21,890
| 1.02%
| {{decrease}} 7th
| {{no2|Lost}}
| colspan=4 {{N/A}}
|-
! [[2022 Costa Rican general election|2022]]
| Luis Alberto Cordero Arias
| 1,406
| 0.07%
| {{decrease}} 26th
| {{no2|Lost}}
| colspan=4 {{N/A}}
|}

===Parliamentary===
{| class=wikitable style="text-align: right;"
|-
! Election
! Leader
! Votes
! %
! Seats
! +/–
! Position
! Government
|-
! [[1998 Costa Rican general election|1998]]
| Federico Malavassi
| 42,640
| 3.1%
| {{Composition bar|1|57|hex={{party color|Libertarian Movement (Costa Rica)}}}}
| New
| 4th
| {{no2|Opposition}}
|-
! [[2002 Costa Rican general election|2002]]
| rowspan="5" | [[Otto Guevara]]
| 142,152
| 9.3%
| {{Composition bar|6|57|hex={{party color|Libertarian Movement (Costa Rica)}}}}
| {{increase}} 5
| 4th
| {{no2|Opposition}}
|-
! [[2006 Costa Rican general election|2006]]
| 147,934
| 9.2%
| {{Composition bar|6|57|hex={{party color|Libertarian Movement (Costa Rica)}}}}
| {{steady}} 0
| {{increase}} 3rd
| {{no2|Opposition}}
|-
! [[2010 Costa Rican general election|2010]]
| 275,518
| 14.5%
| {{Composition bar|9|57|hex={{party color|Libertarian Movement (Costa Rica)}}}}
| {{increase}} 3
| 3rd
| {{no2|Opposition}}
|-
! [[2014 Costa Rican general election|2014]]
| 162,559
| 7.9%
| {{Composition bar|4|57|hex={{party color|Libertarian Movement (Costa Rica)}}}}
| {{decrease}} 5
| {{decrease}} 5th
| {{no2|Opposition}}
|-
! [[2018 Costa Rican general election|2018]]
| 49,659  
| 2.3%
| {{Composition bar|0|57|hex={{party color|Libertarian Movement (Costa Rica)}}}}
| {{decrease}} 4
| {{decrease}} 9th
| {{no|Extra-parliamentary}}
|-
! [[2022 Costa Rican general election|2022]]
| Luis Alberto Cordero Arias
| 13,473 
| 0.7%
| {{Composition bar|0|57|hex={{party color|Libertarian Movement (Costa Rica)}}}}
| {{steady}} 0
| {{decrease}} 19th
| {{no|Extra-parliamentary}}
|}

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}

==External links==

* [http://www.reason.com/news/show/33309.html Reason Magazine] interview with Otto  Guevara

{{Portal bar|Costa Rica|Conservatism|Liberalism|Libertarianism|Politics}}
{{Costa Rican political parties}}
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[[Category:1994 establishments in Costa Rica]]
[[Category:Catholic political parties]]
[[Category:Classical liberal parties]]
[[Category:Conservative parties in Costa Rica]]
[[Category:Liberal conservative parties]]
[[Category:Libertarian conservative parties]]
[[Category:Liberal parties in Costa Rica]]
[[Category:Libertarian parties]]
[[Category:Political parties established in 1994]]
[[Category:Right-libertarianism]]
[[Category:Social conservative parties]]