Q COSTA RICA — Controversy has once again heightened tensions within Costa Rica’s Legislative Assembly, where the exchange of accusations between the ruling party and the opposition has escalated in recent weeks.
This time, the focus was on remarks made by legislator Cindy Murillo, a member of the Partido Pueblo Soberano (PPSO), against legislators Claudia Dobles, of the Coalición Agenda Ciudadana (CAC), and Abril Gordienko, of the Partido Unidad Social Cristiana (PUSC).
Murillo referred to both women as “escorts” when speaking about the pro-democracy demonstration held the previous week in the Plaza de la Democracia, an event that brought together various social and political sectors.
In an interview, the pro-government legislator described the meeting as a kind of alliance between the Partido Liberación Nacional (PLN) and the Frente Amplio (FA), adding that the two opposition legislators also participated.
The expression used by Murillo provoked questions both within and outside the ruling party. The term “escort” is often used to describe a person hired to accompany a client to social events and, depending on the context, is also used as a euphemism to refer to prostitution or call girl services.
The controversy reached the Legislative Assembly on Thursday, where legislators discussed a motion to reject the statements.
Finally, the Assembly approved a motion that categorically condemned the statements attributed to Murillo and indicated that this type of expression is incompatible with the exercise of parliamentary functions.
The motion stated that the words used against Dobles and Gordienko were “offensive, denigrating, and incompatible with the respect and dignity that must prevail in the exercise of parliamentary functions.”
Two ruling party deputies broke ranks with the Sovereign People faction
One of the defining elements of the day was that the motion received affirmative votes from members of the ruling party itself.
Legislators José Miguel Villalobos and Antonio Barzuna, both from the PPSO faction, supported the condemnation and broke with the faction’s position.
Villalobos’s vote was particularly significant because, as the legislator himself explained, it ultimately tipped the scales in favor of the motion.
The legislator asserted that he made the decision as a matter of conscience and maintained that he could not hold a different position after having previously criticized offensive remarks made by other legislators.
“What happened this afternoon is one of those difficult decisions, decisions of conscience, and I promised myself that only God and I have authority over my conscience,” Villalobos stated.
The legislator also explained that he had previously tried to get Murillo to offer an explanation or an apology, but that the legislator decided to maintain her position.
“I didn’t do it to hurt anyone. There was an opportunity for an explanation and an apology, and it didn’t happen. So, to keep my conscience clear, I have no choice but to vote in favor,” he stated.
Villalobos added that he was aware that his vote could determine the outcome.
Murillo stood by her words and offered no apology
Unlike some of her fellow party members, Cindy Murillo refused to offer a public apology during Thursday’s session and stood by her statements.
Murillo’s refusal was one of the factors that preceded the vote on the motion.
The situation led to legislator Nogui Acosta, the leader of the PPSO, having to offer an apology on behalf of the caucus.
Acosta asserted that the party did not endorse Murillo’s statements and called for a higher level of political discourse in Congress.
“We do not endorse Ms. Cindy Murillo’s comments. We believe they were unfortunate, and therefore we offer our apologies not only to Ms. Claudia and Ms. Abril, but also to each and every one of the deputies,” he stated.
Later, the party issued a statement calling the words “unfortunate,” although the statement did not directly mention Murillo.
The pro-government leader linked the discussion to another incident that occurred days earlier in the Plenary, when deputies from the PPSO questioned statements made by Frente Amplio legislator Édgar Araya against President Laura Fernández.