General elections were held in Costa Rica in 1897.[1] Voters elected members of the electoral college on 14–16 November,[2] who in turn elected the president on 12 December.[1]
The elections were held under questionable conditions. Consecutive re-election was forbidden by the constitution. However, incumbent president Rafael Yglesias Castro forced a constitutional amendment allowing him to be a candidate.[3] He was also the only candidate, as Yglesia's main opposition, the Republican Party, called for abstention.[3]