The Broad Front () is a left-wing political party in Costa Rica, the main component of which is the Left Alternative Movement (). They are defined by progressive, socialist and social justice ideas. The party is a member of the São Paulo Forum, part of the Latin American pink tide of democratic socialism.
In the 2006 general election, they won 1.1% of the legislative votes, and won one seat in the legislature, occupied by José Merino del RÃÂo. In the 2010 election they kept their seat, occupied by José MarÃÂa Villalta Florez-Estrada. Their presidential nominee was Eugenio Trejos Benavides, then the rector of the Costa Rica Institute of Technology. For the 2014 election the party's nominee was then-Congressman Villalta, who was receiving a lot of support according to the polls, something unusual in Costa Rica for a left-wing candidate, and even appearing in some as the frontrunner. Nevertheless, Villalta lost momentum after a negative campaign from right-wing party Libertarian Movement, and the Citizen's Action Party (PAC)'s recovery after its candidate Luis Guillermo SolÃÂs improved his image in the debates, attracting support from center-leftist voters.
Villalta ended third in the presidential race with 17% of the votes, below PLN's nominee Johnny Araya and PAC's Luis Guillermo SolÃÂs, but increased its parliamentary representation from one to nine seats. It also won one mayoral race in the 2016 municipal election in Barva and in alliance with PAC in Acosta and Montes de Oca.
During the 2014âÂÂ2018 legislative period, the party suffered several minor scandals involving its deputies including Guanacaste's representative and former Catholic priest Ronal Vargas's resignation after being accused of sexual harassment, deputy Ligia Falla's use of her parliamentary office for alleged romantic encounters of her advisors, and domestic abuse accusations against two parties' deputies.