Costa Rica Government

Government | constitucional democracy

Worldwide recognized as a peaceful and democratic country, Costa Rica is a republic governed under a constitution established in 1949. Much has been since Costa Ricans abolished its army, limited the power of their future presidents to avoid dictatorships, and discrimination of sexes and races stopped.

The government is divided into three branches with specific duties to maintain the country's stability: Executive, Legislative, and Judicial branch.

Executive Branch | the president and its ministers

Executive responsibilities are vested in a president who is without question the center of power. The president and two vice presidents are elected by direct popular vote for a 4-year term. A candidate must gain more than 40 percent of the total votes in order to win the elections. Voting is mandatory for all citizens over 18 years of age.
The president is assisted by a cabinet of ministers. In the present day some of the ministries are: Ministry of Government, Ministry of Economic Industry & Commerce, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Public Security, Ministry of National Planning & Economic Policy, Ministry of Agriculture, Ministry of Science and Technology, Ministry of Public Works, Ministry of Health, Ministry of Education, Ministry of Justice, Ministry of the Treasury, and Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports.

Legislative Branch | people representatives

Correspondingly, the Legislative Branch, namely the Parlament, is elected for a 4-year term as well. It is formed by 57 deputies representing all seven provinces of Costa Rica (San José, Alajuela, Heredia, Cartago, Puntarenas, Guanacaste and Limón). Provinces play one significant role when selecting the members for the Parlament since the number of deputies for each province is established by its population, that is, one member is voted for every 30,000 people. Deputies are elected by direct popular vote the same Election Day as the president. Among its duties the Legislative Branch amends the president’s budget and chooses the Comptroller of the Republic, who is in charge of checking and controlling the public expenditures and preventing overspending from the executive power.

The electoral process in Costa Rica is supervised by the Supreme Electoral Tribunal, a commission of three principal magistrates and six alternates selected by the Supreme Court of Justice.

Another part of this section of the government is the Ombudsman (Defensoría de los Habitantes) created in 1992 by the Law No. 7319. This office is in charge of defending citizens by taking action for injustices or negligence of the Government. This can be done by its own initiative or by appeal from any other group or individual.

Judicial Branch | courts of law

Judicial power is exercised by the Supreme Court of Justice, Appealling Courts and Trial Courts, all of them responsible for the administration of justice. This Branch is formed by 17 magistrates selected for 8-year terms by the Legislative Assembly.

The Supreme Court is formed by four chambers. Chamber I has seven magistrates and jurisdiction over civil and administrative issues. Chamber II has five magistrates and jurisdiction over family law, states and labor law. Chamber III has five magistrates working for criminal appeals. Finally, there is Chamber IV with jurisdiction over constitutional matters.

Local Governments | governor, mayor and municipal council

The country’s seven provinces are headed by governors, but they exercise little power. There are no provincial legislatures. Provinces are divided into 81 cantons and therefore the same number of municipal governments. These local governments are ruled by a Mayor who is designated by the Municipal Council, which is elected at the same time by popular vote.

Autonomous Institutions | state agencies

Autonomous state agencies enjoy considerable operational independence; they include the Central Bank of Costa Rica (nationalized commercial banks), the National Insurance Institute (INS)-state insurance monopoly, the Social Security Administration (CCSS), and the Costa Rican Electricity Institute (ICE), among others.

Defense | police and public security

The constitution of 1949 abolished Costa Rica’s armed forces. The country now relies on Civil and Rural Guards to maintain internal security and public order.

The primary organization is the Civil Guard, which is controlled by the Ministry of Public Security. It is basically a police force responsible for reinforcing law and order in urban areas and for land, air, and maritime border surveillance. The secondary organization is the Rural Guard, which is under the Ministry of Government. It is responsible for performing police functions in rural areas throughout Costa Rica’s seven provinces. Besides these groups, there are other police forces like traffic officers that control traffic and establish order on the roads, and a new metropolitan or municipal police that covers and controls the Capital City of San José.

Summary | what you need to know