Page "History of Costa Rica" Paragraph 11

" With more than 2, 000 dead, the 44-day Costa Rican Civil War resulting from this uprising was the bloodiest event in twentieth-century Costa Rican history ", but the victorious junta drafted a constitution guaranteeing free elections with universal suffrage and the abolition of the military.

Figueres became a national hero, winning the first election under the new constitution in 1953.

Since then, Costa Rica has held 13 presidential elections, the latest in 2010.