With that in mind, main leaders of the non-Marxist opposition started talks in order to present a unified candidature.

[3][4] Eventually these talks came through and the main parties in the opposition at the right of the government achieved an agreement; going into a primary election to choose the common nominee.

Even when some leaders left the coalition after this (most notably Jorge Gonzalez Marten from the National Independent Party and former president Mario Echandi) most of the leadership remained united.

[6] The Left also made a coalition; the three main far-left parties at the Left of PLN; Popular Vanguard, Costa Rican Socialist Party and Revolutionary People's Movement made the United People coalition,[7] nominating former PLN member and doctor Rodrigo Gutierrez.

Gutierrez had no possibilities to be president but the coalition did help the Left having a higher voting than usual and a large group in Congress.