Costa Rica Goverment System
The democratic government of Costa Rica is a republic with very strong checks and balances based on its constitution. The President is vested with the executive responsibilities and the centre of power revolves around the presidency. Two vice presidents serve the nation together with more than 20 members of the cabinet. There are three independent branches of government exercising executive, judicial and legislative powers. The president is elected and serves for a four year term together with 57 elected legislative assembly deputies.
The constitutional reform of 1969 which barred Costa Rican presidents from running for another term has been annulled by the Constitutional Court in April 2003, so the government reverted back to the Constitution of 1949 permitting ex-presidents to run for another term after 8 years of two presidential terms have elapsed. Deputies are allowed to run for re-election after four years or one term have elapsed. The Legislative Assembly is the unicameral body vested with the legislative power and approves and amends the Executive budget and has the power of appointing the Comptroller General.
The Supreme Court judges who serve for a term of eight years are also appointed by the Legislative Assembly. Their re-appointment are automatic after eight years unless the same Legislative Assembly decides to vote them out. There are 22 magistrates in the Supreme Court who in turn selects the civil and penal court judges. The members of the Special Electoral Tribunal are three permanent magistrates also appointed by the courts. Together, the courts provide the enforcement of constitutional checks so that the presidential power is not abused. The Special Electoral Tribunal remains an independent body with far-reaching powers and is in charge of overseeing every election. To minimize partisanship, one member of the tribunal is appointed every two years to serve a six-year term.
There are seven provinces in Costa Rica: Alajuela, Guanacaste, Cartago, Limon, Heredia, Puntarenas and the capital San Jose. The best place to stay for your Costa Rica vacation is The Costa Rican Condo. From there, you can explore the rest of the country and make arrangements for excursions to see the sights, the flora and fauna and sample the cuisine and the culture of Costa Rica. Hotel Costa Rica provides visitors with a variety of option, be it exploring the forests and inland sights or the coastal towns and exploring the beaches for surfing and fishing.
The provinces of Costa Rica are subdivided into counties. There are 81 counties and the 421 districts under them were ruled by municipal councils until the first mayoral elections of 2002. The mayors serve a 4-year term. The provinces have a number of electoral districts depending on its population that represent the area in the Legislative Assembly.
The most recent national elections of Costa Rica have been held in February 2010. A testament to the peace-loving quality of the people is the country’s lack of a military force. It maintains peace and order through a system of domestic police combined with security forces. The establishment of a professional Coast Guard was only done in year 2000.
Oversight of the powers of government is exercised by the Solicitor General, the Ombudsman and the Comptroller General. It is the statutory responsibility of the Comptroller General to scrutinize all the public sector contracts and enforce all procedural requirements strictly.
