RICO’s Q — “Missed it by this much!” is the famous catchphrase from the bumbling secret agent Maxwell Smart (Agent 86), which can be aptly applied to the efforts of opposition legislators in their second attempt in less than three months to impeach Rodrigo Chaves.
In a vote without surprises, 35 legislators were in favor of removing his immunity, but the required 38 were not reached; three votes were needed to remove his immunity.
With no surprises and with the votes already determined, Congress decided not to remove his immunity despite the request from the Tribunal Supremo de Elecciones (TSE)—Supreme Electoral Tribunal—following 15 complaints of political campaigning against Chaves.
Read more: Rodrigo Chaves laughs again: second attempt to strip him of immunity fails
After the presentation of the reports and the “formal debate”, the vote took place.
Those who supported lifting the immunity included the majority of the legislators of the Partido Liberacion Nacional (PLN), four legislators from the Partido Unidad Social Cristiana (PUSC), and the entire Frente Amplio caucus, including Sofía Guillén, who participated in the session despite being on maternity leave.
Also voting in favor were Partido Liberal Progresista (PLP) and independents Kattia Cambronero, Gloria Navas, Johana Obando, María Marta Padilla, Luis Diego Vargas, and Cynthia Córdoba, as well as Luz Mary Alpízar of the Progreso Social Democrático party.
The law stipulates that a minimum of 38 votes are required for the TSE’s request and the recommendation of the commission that analyzed the issue to be approved.
There were 21 votes against removing the president’s immunity and in favor of him, as previously reported. The ruling party was joined by Nueva República—which made the announcement last week—and also by five PUSC legislators, the same ones who had voted against it in the September process: Leslye Bojorges, Horacio Alvarado, Carlos Andrés Robles, Melina Ajoy, and María Marta Carballo.
Independent Gilberth Jiménez also voted against, as did Carolina Delgado of the PLN, who once again broke ranks with the party line.
Without Chaves
The session began at 1:15 p.m. with 50 of the 57 legislators present and the reading of the majority report, signed by Alejandra Larios and Rocío Alfaro.
Then, both legislators, as well as Daniel Vargas—the other member of the committee who presented a negative minority report—explained their reasons for the decision made before the formal debate began.
Although there were rumors that President Rodrigo Chaves would attend the session, he ultimately did not show up, saying he hadn’t been informed about the session’s protocol. The Assembly disproved this by presenting the documents it had already sent to the presidential office.
As a result, the session was shortened by 30 minutes, and the formal debate began with the participation of the independent deputies, followed by each party speaking.
“Today, some legislators think they won; I tell them, they will be judged by history,” said Kattia Cambronero.
The discussion included both sides, those who voted in favor and those who voted against, in a deliberation that lasted approximately four hours.
Legislator Alejandra Larios questioned why no one mentioned the scope of the majority report, especially those who voted against it, suggesting it wasn’t in their best interest to do so, and defending the work they had done in the committee.