The politics of Costa Rica take place in a framework of a presidential,representative democratic republic,with a multi-party system. Executive power is exercised by the president and their cabinet,and the President of Costa Rica is both the head of state and head of government. Legislative power is vested in the Legislative Assembly. The president and 57 Legislative Assembly deputies are elected for four-year terms. The judiciary operates independent of the executive and the legislature but remains involved in the political process. Costa Rica is a republic with a strong system of constitutional checks and balances. Voting is compulsory in Costa Rica but it is not enforced.
Óscar Arias Sánchez is a Costa Rican activist and Nobel Peace Prize laureate. He was President of Costa Rica from 1986 to 1990 and from 2006 to 2010. He received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1987 for his efforts to end the Central American crisis. He was also a recipient of the Albert Schweitzer Prize for Humanitarianism and a trustee of Economists for Peace and Security. In 2003,he was elected to the board of directors of the International Criminal Court's Trust Fund for Victims.
The National Liberation Party,nicknamed the verdiblancos,is a political party in Costa Rica. The party is a member of the Socialist International. Social-democratic by statute,the party has a few internal factions,including liberals,Third Way supporters,centrists,and social conservatives.
The 1949 Constitution of Costa Rica established two vice-presidencies of Costa Rica,which are directly elected through a popular vote on a ticket with the president for a period of four years,with no immediate re-election. There has been various incarnations of the office. Vice presidents replace the president in cases of temporary or permanent absence.
Johnny Francisco Araya Monge is a Costa Rican politician. He was the mayor of the country's capital San Joséfrom 1998 to 2001 and again since 2003. He was also the co-president of the United Cities and Local Governments (UCLG) from 2010 to 2013. He is a member of the National Liberation Party (PLN) and was presidential candidate in the 2014 election.
Laura Chinchilla Miranda is a Costa Rican politician who was President of Costa Rica from 2010 to 2014. She was one of Óscar Arias Sánchez's two Vice-Presidents and his administration's Minister of Justice. She was the governing PLN candidate for president in the 2010 general election,where she won with 46.76% of the vote on 7 February. She was the eighth woman president of a Latin American country and the first woman to become President of Costa Rica. She was sworn in as President of Costa Rica on May 8,2010.
The history of the Jews in Costa Rica dates back to the Spanish conquest with the arrival of many Sephardic converts known as Marranos who escaped from the Spanish Inquisition and settled mainly in the city of Cartago and its surroundings. They hid their Jewish past by all means,making even their descendants have no idea of it.
General elections were held in Costa Rica on 7 February 2010. The ruling party before the election,the center-left National Liberation Party,put forward former Vice-President Laura Chinchilla as its presidential candidate,while the libertarian,Movimiento Libertario nominated former legislator Otto Guevara. Opinion polls before voting started consistently put Chinchilla as the front-runner,a trend confirmed in the election-night count,which showed her garnering 46.76% of the vote.
Alfio Piva Mesén is a Costa Rican politician,veterinarian,scientist and environmentalist. He was the First Vice President of Costa Rica from 2010 to 2014. The Second Vice President during that interval was Luis Liberman.
JoséMaría Rico Cueto was a Spanish-born Costa Rican lawyer and writer specializing in criminal law who served as the First Gentleman of Costa Rica during the presidency of his wife,former President Laura Chinchilla,from 2010 to 2014. Rico was the first First Gentleman in Costa Rica's history.
RenéCastro Salazar,is FAO's Climate,Biodiversity,Land and Water Department Assistant-Director General and a former Costa Rican politician.
Events in the year 2013 in Costa Rica.
Events in the year 2014 in Costa Rica.
Ana Helena Chacón Echeverría is a Costa Rica politician,who served as the nation's 2nd Vice President,under Luis Guillermo Solís 2014–2018,and as Ambassador in Spain,under Carlos Alvarado. Her political career is dedicated to issues of feminism,human rights,and public health policy. Previously a cabinet minister and deputy,Chacón has also served on numerous committees and conferences on the national and international level.
Juan Carlos Mendoza García is a Costa Rican politician and the country's current Ambassador to the United Nations. He was a deputy with the Citizens' Action Party during the 2010 to 2014 and served as President of the Legislative Assembly from 2011 to 2012.
Events in the year 2015 in Costa Rica.
A primary election was held among the members of Costa Rica’s then ruling National Liberation Party (PLN) on June 7,2009 in order to choose the PLN’s nominee for presidency in the 2010 general election. The two main candidates for the nomination were then vice-president Laura Chinchilla and San JoséMayor Johnny Araya. Former security minister Fernando Berrocal also ran a basically testimonial candidacy. PLN’s main rival party,PAC,ran its own convention a month before.
Marvin Rafael de los Ángeles Rodríguez Cordero is a Costa Rican politician,teacher and labor union leader who has been the Second Vice President of Costa Rica since 8 May 2018.
The 2021 National Liberation Party Convention was the primary election process by which supporters of the National Liberation Party,the first opposition force in Costa Rica,selected their presidential candidate for the 2022 general elections. Former President JoséMaría Figueres was victorious.
Carlos Ricardo Benavides Jiménez is a Costa Rican lawyer,businessman and politician. He has served as the President of the Legislative Assembly of Costa Rica between 2019 and 2020. He is currently serving as a Deputy of Legislative Assembly of Costa Rica representing the San JoséProvince. Benavides holds a Law degree and public notary from the University of Costa Rica.
