The Government of Costa Rica - The World Countries

Costa Rica - Government

Based on the etymolgy of Costa Rica, it was the name means "rich coast" in Spanish and was first applied in the early colonial period of the 16th century. The Government system in this country is the presidential republic type and the different Administrative divisions includes: 7 provinces (provincias, singular - provincia); Alajuela, Cartago, Guanacaste, Heredia, Limon, Puntarenas, San Jose

National symbols

Yiguirro (clay-colored robin); national colors: blue, white, red.

The flag

The National flag of Costa Rica has five horizontal bands of blue (top), white, red (double width), white, and blue, with the coat of arms in a white elliptical disk placed toward the hoist side of the red band; Costa Rica retained the earlier blue-white-blue flag of Central America until 1848 when, in response to revolutionary activity in Europe, it was decided to incorporate the French colors into the national flag and a central red stripe was added; today the blue color is said to stand for the sky, opportunity, and perseverance, white denotes peace, happiness, and wisdom, while red represents the blood shed for freedom, as well as the generosity and vibrancy of the people.

note: somewhat resembles the flag of North Korea; similar to the flag of Thailand but with the blue and red colors reversed

The National Anthem

Title	"Himno Nacional de Costa Rica" (National Anthem of Costa Rica)
Lyric/music	Jose Maria ZELEDON Brenes/Manuel Maria GUTIERREZ

note: adopted 1949; the anthem's music was originally written for an 1853 welcome ceremony for diplomatic missions from the US and UK; the lyrics were added in 1903

More about the government of Costa Rica

Constitution
Date of Independence	15 September 1821 (from Spain)
National holiday	Independence Day, 15 September (1821)
Legal system	civil law system based on Spanish civil code; judicial review of legislative acts in the Supreme Court
International law organization participation	accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction; accepts ICCt jurisdiction
History	Many previous; latest effective 8 November 1949
Amendments	Proposals require the signatures of at least 10 Legislative Assembly members or petition of at least 5% of qualified voters; consideration of proposals requires two-thirds majority approval in each of three readings by the Assembly, followed by preparation of the proposal as a legislative bill and its approval by simple majority of the Assembly; passage requires at least two-thirds majority vote of the Assembly membership; a referendum is required only if approved by at least two thirds of the Assembly; amended many times, last in 2020
Citizenship
Citizenship by birth	yes
Citizenship by descent only	yes
Dual citizenship recognized	yes
Residency requirement for naturalization	7 years
Executive Branch
Chief of state	President Rodrigo CHAVES Robles (since 8 May 2022)
Head of government	President Rodrigo CHAVES Robles (since 8 May 2022)
Cabinet	Cabinet selected by the president
Elections/appointments	president and vice presidents directly elected on the same ballot by modified majority popular vote (40% threshold) for a 4-year term (eligible for non-consecutive terms); election last held on 6 February 2022 with a runoff on 3 April 2022 (next to be held in February 2026 with a runoff in April 2026)
Election results	2022: Rodrigo CHAVES Robles elected president in second round; percent of vote in first round - Jose Maria FIGUERES Olsen (PLN) 27.3%, Rodrigo CHAVES Robles (PPSD) 16.8%, Fabricio ALVARADO Munoz (PNR) 14.9%, Eliecer FEINZAIG Mintz (PLP) 12.4%, Lineth SABORIO Chaverri (PUSC) 12.4%, Jose Maria VILLALTA Florez-Estrada 8.7% (PFA), other 7.5%; percent of vote in second round - Rodrigo CHAVES Robles (PPSD) 52.8%, Jose Maria FIGUERES Olsen (PLN) 47.2% 2018: Carlos ALVARADO Quesada elected president in second round; percent of vote in first round - Fabricio ALVARADO Munoz (PRN) 25%; Carlos ALVARADO Quesada (PAC) 21.6%; Antonio ALVAREZ (PLN) 18.6%; Rodolfo PIZA (PUSC) 16%; Juan Diego CASTRO (PIN) 9.5%; Rodolfo HERNANDEZ (PRSC) 4.9%, other 4.4%; percent of vote in second round - Carlos ALVARADO Quesada (PAC) 60.7%; Fabricio ALVARADO Munoz (PRN) 39.3%
Legislative branch
Description	Unicameral Legislative Assembly or Asamblea Legislativa (57 seats; members directly elected in multi-seat constituencies - corresponding to the country's 7 provinces - by closed party-list proportional representation vote; members serve 4-year terms)
Elections	Last held on 6 February 2022 (next to be held in February 2026)
Election results	Percent of vote by party - PLN 24.8%, PPSD 15%, PUSC 11.4%, PNR 10.1%, PLP 9.1%, 8.3%, other 21.3%; seats by party - PLN 19, PPSD 10, PUSC 9, PNR 7, PLP 6, PFA 6; composition - men 30, women 27, percentage women 47.4%
Judicial branch
Highest court(s)	Supreme Court of Justice (consists of 22 judges organized into 3 cassation chambers each with 5 judges and the Constitutional Chamber with 7 judges)
Judge selection and term of office	Supreme Court of Justice judges elected by the National Assembly for 8-year terms with renewal decided by the National Assembly
Subordinate courts	Appellate courts; trial courts; first instance and justice of the peace courts; Superior Electoral Tribunal
Diplomatic representation in the US
Chief of mission	Ambassador Catalina CRESPO SANCHO (since 19 April 2023)
Chancery	2114 S Street NW, Washington, DC 20008
Telephone	[1] (202) 499-2980
FAX	[1] (202) 265-4795
Email address and website	[email protected] http://www.costarica-embassy.org/index.php?q=node/21
Consulate(s) general	Atlanta, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, Washington DC
Diplomatic representation from the US
Chief of mission	Ambassador Cynthia A. TELLES (since 11 March 2022)
Embassy	Calle 98 Via 104, Pavas, San Jose
Mailing address	3180 St. George's Place, Washington DC 20521-3180
Telephone	[506] 2519-2000
FAX	[506] 2519-2305
Email address and website	[email protected] https://cr.usembassy.gov/
National heritage
Total World Heritage Sites	4 (1 cultural, 3 natural)
Selected World Heritage Site locales	Guanacaste Conservation Area (n); Cocos Island National Park (n); Precolumbian Stone Spheres (c); La Amistad International Park (n)