Figuerism orFiguerismo is apolitical andideological movement inCosta Rica ofsocial democracy anddemocratic socialism initiated byJosé Figueres Ferrer, who exercised thepresidency of Costa Rica on three occasions; asde facto ruler after theCosta Rican revolution between 1948 and 1949, and then as democratically elected president twice: 1953–1958 and 1970–1974. Several Costa Rican political parties proclaim themselves as continuators of figuerism and as their most faithful representatives, among them theNational Liberation Party,Citizens' Action Party and thePatriotic Alliance, all of whom pay homage to the figure of José Figueres and have personalities in their ranks close to the former president Figueres and of figuerist extraction.[1]
Figueres is remembered for, among other things, having respected the "Social Guarantees" (a series ofsocial reforms beneficial to the popular classes enacted in theCalderón administration that were not repealed by Figueres after winning the war), for having abolished the army, nationalized the four largest banks, approvedwomen's suffrage, endedracial segregation (until 1949 blacks had no right to vote or leave certain areas) and the creation of theCosta Rican Institute of Electricity.
The centenary of his birth on September 25, 2006 was celebrated both by the government chaired byOscar Arias of the National Liberation Party and in theLegislative Assembly by then main opposition force of the Citizen Action Party.[2]
José Figueres Ferrer proclaimed himself adherent ofutopian socialism and developed a particularly Creole and native form of Costa Rican socialism difficult to define in international standards. He was a member of the Democratic Action group, in turn part of theDemocratic Party opposed to theChristian socialist government ofRafael Ángel Calderón Guardia who was allied to theCosta Rican Communist Party and led the revolution against Calderón after theelections in 1948 were canceled by theConstitutional Congress when Calderón was defeated by the opposition candidate (and future ally of Calderón)Otilio Ulate arguing electoral irregularities, being commander of the so-called National Liberation Army that emerged victorious in the war of 48.[3][4]
In 1953, the Center for the Study of National Problems and Democratic Action merged, giving birth to the National Liberation Party with Figueres as its first candidate and also its first democratically elected president.[4] The Center was fed back from thesocial democratic thought of the time, particularly ofHaya de la Torre.Figuerismo is not synonymous with liberationism, that is, the ideology that revolves around the National Liberation Party which has a varied archipelago of internal tendencies.[4]
The political tradition of the National Liberation Party is known as "liberationism" (liberacionismo) and should not be confused with Figuerism, although this is one of the most important trends, different tendencies not always friendly with each other, such asarismo (linked to the Arias Sánchez family) andmongismo (to the Araya-Monge family), coexist within the PLN.
Both Figueres Ferrer and his sonJosé María Figueres Olsen were presidents of the Republic through the PLN. Other figures such as former deputy and former first ladyKaren Olsen Beck and Figueres Ferrer's daughter, Muni Figueres, are still PLN members.
PLN's main rival, the Citizens' Action Party was founded by different personalities largely from the PLN, PAC has/had among its members personalities close to the figure, as one of its founders was writerAlberto Cañas Escalante who was close to Figueres Ferrer and former first ladyJosette Altmann Borbón who was his daughter-in-law and wife of Figueres Olsen. Another figuerista is PresidentLuis Guillermo Solís Rivera who left the PLN for the PAC following the disagreement with the support of the party toCAFTA. Solís Rivera used to belong to the figuerista trend along with Mariano Figueres Olsen (also Figueres Ferrer's son and president of the Patriotic Alliance party) and both left the ranks of the PLN at the same time, adhering to different but allied parties.[5][6]
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