COSTA RICA POLITICS

The Republic of Costa Rica is located in Central America and is surrounded by Nicaragua, Panama, the great Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean Sea. Problems in creating trade routes helped this region to develop in a sort of partial isolation from the Spanish imperialism. However, this has also contributed to the poverty of Costa Rica.

If we focus on the history of Costa Rica’s politics we find that Costa Rica became a member of Federal Republic of Central America, but for a short period only. Costa Rica’s unwillingness to join in the capacity of a province in the greater Central American Government was a major cause for this break up.

One of the notable features of Costa Rica is that it has constitutionally dissolved the army. Costa Rica is a democratic republican country. The country boasts of a very strong constitution. Costa Rica is considered as one of those countries in Latin America that is stable and avoids violence as far as possible. The country is enjoying approximately sixty years of uninterrupted democracy. In this country supreme power is vested on the president and the first president of Costa Rica was Juan Mora Fernandez while the current president is Oscar Arias Sanchez. From the year 1839 onwards Costa Rica has achieved the status of an independent nation.

According to the Federal Law of the country of Costa Rica, the president is aided by two vice presidents. The president also has a cabinet appointed by him. In accordance with the Costa Rican constitution the president, vice presidents and the fifty seven delegates of Legislative Assembly are elected by the people for four years. The constitution was amended in the year 1969 and it ruled that the presidents and the delegates could not run for the seat for consecutive terms. However, delegates are allowed to compete after taking a break for a term.

But the restrictions on the presidents for rerunning were not reversed. This enabled the present president Oscar Arias to run for presidentship for the second time.

Costa Rica boasts of a multi party system. While government enjoys executive power the legislative power is shared by both the government and the Legislative Assembly. However, the judicial system of Costa Rica is autonomous of the executive as well as legislature.

To keep a check on the activities of the government there are the offices of Comptroller General of the Republic, the Procurator General of the Public and the Ombudsman which are independent of the government and keep track of the government activities. It is the department of Comptroller general which is responsible for looking after all the dealings and contracts that the government gets involved with and enforces procedural requirements accordingly. 

The president is vested with the power to appoint governors for the country’s seven provinces. However, due to absence of provincial legislatures the governors enjoy only limited power. The safety of Costa Rica is at the hands of domestic Police and armed National Guard forces.

Coming to the judicial system of Costa Rica, the top position here is held by the Supreme Court of Justice. The Supreme Court of Justice is composed of twenty eight magistrates. At the lower rungs of the judicial structure are subsidiary courts.

The notable parties in this country include Partido Liberacion Nacional which is a social democrat party, Partido Accion Ciudadana which is aligned towards the left and center left, Partido Movimiento Libertario which is a liberal party as is evident from its name and the Partido Unidad Cristiana which is the party of the Christian Democratics. There are also other not so powerful parties which are gradually gaining importance.