List of constitutions of Costa Rica

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Costa Rica has possessed multiple and very varied constitutional bodies. [1]

The Constitutional Assemblies of Costa Rica have been, in almost all cases, convened after a coup d'état or armed conflict, since it is the custom in Costa Rica that when a government is deposed, an Assembly will be convened to draft a new constitutional body that legitimizes the new regime. This was true from the first Constituent Congress of the State of Costa Rica convened shortly after the independence of Central America until the most recent National Constituent Assembly of 1949, which occurred after the Civil War of 1948. [2]

ConstitutionValidityState
Cadiz Constitution 1812-1814 and 1820-1821Diputación of the Spanish Empire
Pact of Concord 1821-1823Province of Costa Rica, at least nominally member of the First Mexican Empire
First Political Statute of the Province of Costa Rica 1823
Second Political Statute of the Province of Costa Rica 1823-1824 Federal Republic of Central America
Basis of the Federal Constitution1823-1824
Constitution of the Federal Republic of Central America1824-1838
Fundamental Law of the State of Costa Rica 1825-1838
Decree of Basis and Guarantees 1841-1842 Free State of Costa Rica
Costa Rican Constitution of 1844 1844-1846 First Costa Rican Republic
Costa Rican Constitution of 1847 1847-1848
Reformed Constitution of 1848 1848-1859
Costa Rican Constitution of 1859 1859-1868
Costa Rican Constitution of 1869 1869-1870
Costa Rican Constitution of 1871 1871-1876
1882-1917
1919-1949
Costa Rican Constitution of 1917 1917-1919
Costa Rican Constitution of 1949 1949-2024 Second Costa Rican Republic

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Legislative Assembly of Costa Rica</span> Unicameral legislature of Costa Rica

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pact of Concord</span>

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fundamental Law of the State of Costa Rica</span>

The Fundamental Law of the Free State of Costa Rica, sometimes called the Political Constitution of 1825, was issued on January 25, 1825 by the Constituent Congress of the State of Costa Rica and during a time the country was a formal member of the Federal Republic of Central America. It would function until it was abrogated by Braulio Carrillo Colina who in 1838 takes power in a dictatorial manner and issues on March 8, 1841 the Decree of Basis and Guarantees that will operate as a de facto constitution until the arrival of Francisco Morazán in 1844 who overthrew Carrillo and was temporarily restored.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Costa Rican Constitution of 1844</span>

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Costa Rican Constitution of 1847</span> Constitution

The Political Constitution of the State of Costa Rica was promulgated on February 10, 1847 under the interim government of José María Alfaro Zamora who convened a Constituent Assembly for that purpose through elections on August 23, 1846.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Costa Rican Constitution of 1859</span>

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 1870..

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Costa Rican Constitution of 1869</span>

1860 Constitution was the Constitution of Costa Rica for two years, between 1869 and 1871.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Costa Rican Constitution of 1871</span>

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Costa Rican Constitution of 1917</span>

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Referendums in Costa Rica</span>

Referendums in Costa Rica are regulated by law. The main juridical body that regulates is the Law of Referendum or Law 8492. To this date the only nation-wide referendum done since the current Constitution and the afore mentioned referendum regulatory law is in place was the 2007 Costa Rican Dominican Republic – Central America Free Trade Agreement referendum.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Constitutional Congress of Costa Rica</span>

The Constitutional Congress of Costa Rica was the unicameral parliament of the country for most of its history. It was established in the Political Constitution of 1871. It consisted of 43 deputies and 18 alternates elected proportionally by provinces at the rate of one deputy for every 15,000 inhabitants with, among other powers, being able to choose the President in case none of the candidates obtained the minimum required to be elected, as happened in the 1913 election, the first election that were held with direct popular vote, and in which none of the candidates; Máximo Fernández Alvarado, Carlos Durán Cartín and Rafael Yglesias Castro, gathered enough votes to win in the first round. It was therefore the responsibility of the Congress to choose the president from among the candidates, but all of them withdrew their name and Alfredo González Flores was chosen.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Founding Junta of the Second Republic</span> 1948–1949 government of Costa Rica

The Founding Junta of the Second Republic was a de facto government which existed in the Republic of Costa Rica from May 8, 1948, to November 8, 1949, with the overthrow of the constitutional president Teodoro Picado Michalski, by a group of revolutionaries headed by José Figueres Ferrer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dictatorship of the Tinoco brothers</span>

The Dictatorship of the Tinoco brothers, also Tinochist or Peliquist Dictatorship, or Tinoco regime is the period of Costa Rica in which the military dictatorship led by Federico Tinoco Granados as de facto president and his brother José Joaquín Tinoco Granados as Minister of War was in place. It began after the 1917 Costa Rican coup d'état on January 27, 1917 and culminated with the departure of Tinoco from Costa Rica to France on August 13, 1919 three days after the murder of his brother and after a series of armed insurrections and massive civil protests known as the Sapoá Revolution and the 1919 student civic movement.

References

  1. Arce Goméz, Celín (May–August 2011). "Notas sobre la Asamblea Nacional Constituyente de 1949". Revista de Ciencias Jurídicas. Nº125: 31–78.
  2. Arce Gómez, Celín (2008). El abuso interpretativo de la sala constitucional. EUNED. ISBN   9789968316590.