Q COSTARICA — After taking attendance on Monday, the president of the Legislative Assembly had to cancel the sessions because only 37 of the 57 legislators showed up, falling short of the required quorum.
At 3:00 p.m., the President of the Legislative Assembly, Yara Jiménez, ordered the doors of the chamber closed, and a roll call was taken to verify attendance.
This is the first instance of a lack of quorum in the current constitutional term.
The Legislative Assembly’s Rules of Procedure stipulate that at least 38 legislators are required to hold a session.
Out of the 20 legislators who were absent, 12 are from the Partido Pueblo Soberano (PPSO), which holds the majority with 31 members. They include Kristel Ward, currently on maternity leave, along with Juan Manuel Quesada, Gerald Bogantes, Stephan Brunner, Mayuli Ortega, Gonzalo Ramírez, Esmeralda Britton, Kattia Ulate, Cindy Blanco, Cindy Murillo, Osvaldo Artavia, and Reynaldo Arias.
Among the 15 Partido Liberación Nacional (PLN) legislators, the five absent were Iztarú Alfaro, Andrea Valverde, Diana Murillo, Norjelens Lobos, and Jesús Calderón.
The three Frente Amplio (with 7 legislators) who did not attend the session on Monday were Sigrid Segura, Antonio Trejos, and Vianey Mora.