Costa Rica Has Some 18.000 Laws On The Books
Costa Rica’s lawmakers are looking to eliminate 196 laws deemed “obsolete”, but nonetheless are still on the books.
A law adopted in 1865 giving the mother of Juan Santamaría a pension, or the law to declare war on Germany, as part of the 196 obsolete laws that would be erased by the a bill introduced in the Legislature by several legislators.
According to PUSC legislator and wife of former president, Miguel Angel Calderón, Gloria Bejarano, today one cannot claim ignorance of the law, but who is to learn the more than 18.000 laws Costa Rica currently has on the books.
Some other examples of laws that the bill will erade are the Military Code of Justice of 1898 and the approval of the executive (president) to declare war on Japan and other non-American power.
José Francisco Salas, director of the Sistema Nacional de Legislación Vigente (National Legislation), said “in a strange way you could say that they are all still in force”.
The president of the Legislative Assembly, Victor Emilio Granados, supports the initiative and will ask the Executive branch of the government (the Presidencia) to convene speciall session so that the proposal can be approved as quickly as possible.