The 2002 national elections in Costa Rica offer a vivid example of just how influential civil society organizations have become in Latin America.
A new political party, the Partido Acción Ciudadana (Citizen Action Party, or PAC) organized during a period of months by a coalition of NGOs, shattered the two-party rule that had been a constant in Costa Rica for decades, garnering 26 percent of the votes.
The result is that members of the governing Social Christian Unity Party (known as PUSC) and the opposing National Liberation Party now share the Costa Rican parliament with PAC deputies that include peasants and representatives of women's organizations. From now on, the two old-line political parties will need to broker agreements with PAC delegates in order to govern.
“Costa Rica needed to believe in something right now,” explains Ana María Balbontín of the Universidad Nacional de Costa Rica. “The role of the PAC will be to restore the energy lacking in civil society today in our country.” Balbontín believes civil society had lost vitality in Costa Rica due to what she calls a mass exodus of NGOs that left the country to set up shop in Nicaragua and Honduras. “This brought about a crisis that left many projects unfinished,” she says.
In recent statements, Costa Rican former President Rodrigo Carazo has attributed this exodus to the proliferation of foundations in the country. These foundations diluted the power of the civil organizations that played such a major part in the progressive movement in Costa Rica. ”The PAC will fuel the rebirth of civil society and convince its members to stay and work in this country,” says Balbontín.