the victorious rebels formed a government that abolished the military. it oversaw the drafting of a new constitution by a democratically elected assembly. having enacted these reforms, the junta relinquished its power on november 8, 1949, to the new democratic government. after that, figueres became a national hero, winning the country's first democratic election under the new constitution in 1953. since then, costa rica has held 14 presidential elections, the latest in 2014. all of them have been widely regarded by the international community as peaceful and transparent.