The Legislative Assembly forms the unicameral legislative branch of the Costa Rican government. The national congress building is located in the capital city, San José, specifically in El Carmen District in San José Canton.
José Francisco de Peralta y López del Corral was a Costa Rican priest and politician. He was born in Cartago, Costa Rica, the son of José María de Peralta y La Vega and Ana Benita de Nava López del Corral. Peralta attended the University of León and was ordained as a pastor in León, Nicaragua in 1812. He was named a parish priest for the village Olocuilta, El Salvador.
The Supreme Court of Costa Rica is the court of greater hierarchy of Law and Justice in Costa Rica.
Braulio Evaristo Carrillo Colina was the Head of State of Costa Rica during two periods: the first between 1835 and 1837, and the de facto between 1838 and 1842.
Manuel Aguilar Chacón was head of state of Costa Rica from April 1837 to March 1838.
The Constitution of Costa Rica is the supreme law of Costa Rica. At the end of the 1948 Costa Rican Civil War, José Figueres Ferrer oversaw the Costa Rican Constitutional Assembly, which drafted the document. It was approved on 1949 November 7. Several older constitutions had been in effect starting from 1812, with the most recent former constitution ratified in 1871. The Costa Rican Constitution is remarkable in that in its Article 12 abolished the Costa Rican military, making it the second nation after Japan to do so by law. Another unusual clause is an amendment asserting the right to live in a healthy natural environment.
In the 1835 election for the Head of State of Costa Rica, Braulio Carrillo Colina won using the model of indirect suffrage. At that time the Constitution established a system in which male Costa Ricans voted publicly to elect their electoral delegates who, in proportion to the population of the area they represented, then elected the Head of State. San Jose chose 11, Cartago 8, Heredia 8, Alajuela 5, Bagaces 1, Escazú 3, Ujarrás 2, Térraba 1 and Nicoya 3.
The Free State of Costa Rica was the name acquired by Costa Rica after its split from the Federal Republic of Central America in 1838 and until the proclamation of the First Costa Rican Republic in 1847.
The history of the Costa Rican legislature is long and starts from even before its formal independence from the Spanish Empire. Costa Rica is one of the world's oldest democracies, thus, its parliamentary history dates back several centuries.
The Pact of Concord was the provisional Constitution of Costa Rica between 1821 and 1823, officially named the Interim Fundamental Social Pact of the Province of Costa Rica.
The First Political Statute of the Province of Costa Rica was issued on March 19, 1823 by the newly independent provisional government and replaced the Pact of Concord as its Political Constitution.
The Second Political Statute of the Province of Costa Rica was issued on May 16, 1823 by the interim government and the Second Provincial Congress of the Province of Costa Rica. It was issued just after the Ochomogo War when the monarchist camp settled in Cartago and Heredia and headed by Joaquín de Oreamuno as its commander of arms, was defeated by the Republican side commanded by Gregorio José Ramírez and gravitated around San José and Alajuela.
The Decree of Bases and Guarantees was the de facto constitutional text of Costa Rica, granted on March 8, 1841 by the Head of State Braulio Carrillo Colina.
The Political Constitution of the Free State of Costa Rica promulgated on April 9, 1844 was the second constitution of the country, if local constitutions are excluded when it was a member of the Central American Federation, and eight if these are included. Francisco Morazán's regime was toppled by José María Alfaro Zamora. Zamora as interim ruler, on April 5, 1843, convened a Constitutional Assembly that was officially established on June 1 of that year and drafted the Constitution that would be in force until 1847 when, Alfaro again, summons a new Constituent.
The Political Constitution of the State of Costa Rica was promulgated on February 10, 18471 under the interim government of José María Alfaro Zamora who convened a Constituent Assembly for that purpose through elections on August 23, 1846.
The Political Constitution of Costa Rica of 1859 was issued on December 27.1 It was in force until November 1, 1868 and also, partially, from August to October of 1870..
1860 Constitution was the Constitution of Costa Rica for two years, between 1869 and 1871.
The Political Constitution of Costa Rica of 1871 has been the longest duration Constitution in the history of the country, as except for brief periods, it was in force between 1871 and 1949. Influenced by the Liberals, the Constitution of 1871 was quite pioneering for the time and, among other things, abolished the death penalty, decreed the freedom of religion, strengthened education and separated the three branches of the Republic.
The Political Constitution of Costa Rica of 1917 was a constitution that was in force for two years; from 1917 to 1919. It was promulgated by then dictator Federico Tinoco Granados after the coup d'état that overthrew Alfredo González Flores in 1917. It was drafted by the ex-presidents Bernardo Soto Alfaro, Rafael Iglesias Castro, Ascensión Esquivel Ibarra, Cleto González Víquez and Carlos Durán Cartín. The presidents José Joaquín Rodríguez Zeledón and Ricardo Jiménez Oreamuno were invited to participate in the process as others of their status, but they refused to do so with various excuses.
