Q COSTARICA — President Rodrigo Chaves lashed out Wednesday at the Supreme Electoral Tribunal (TSE) and the legislators considering lifting his immunity, calling them a “political caste of that mafia” that, according to him, seeks to remove him from power through “fabricated” procedures and arbitrary interpretations of the law.
During the weekly press conference following a session of the cabinet, Chaves launched harsh criticism against the state institutions involved in the process underway in the Legislative Assembly, where he will appear tomorrow, Friday, November 14, to exercise his right to defense.
“We are facing something unprecedented… For the second time in less than four months, the political caste of that mafia—because there is no other word for it—is trying to remove the president of the Republic from power by inventing processes, structures, things that do not exist in the law,” Chaves stated.
The president also criticized the TSE, accusing it of “inventing crimes that don’t exist in the Constitution, the Electoral Code, or the Penal Code.”
“They stretch the Constitution and interpret it as their lawyers do,” the president said.
Call to his supporters
Unlike previous occasions, Chaves made an open call to his supporters to join him at Congress, in what he described as a “patriotic invitation” to “defend democracy.”
“This time I am asking you to join me, please, on Friday the 14th at 10:00 a.m. The invitation is not to defend me, but to defend our institutions, the true separation of powers, and the dignity of the people,” he stated.
Legislators are reviewing a request from the TSE to lift the president’s immunity and allow him to be investigated for the alleged crime of political belligerence, a charge that penalizes the use of public resources to favor a political party or candidate.
If found guilty, Chaves could be barred from holding public office for up to four years, and even removed from the presidency. Chaves’ term ends at high noon, May 8, 2026.
The current procedure is part of the president’s right to defense, but the final decision on lifting his immunity rests with the full legislature.
This is the second attempt in less than four months to remove his constitutional protection. In the previous process, related to the alleged crime of extortion. The motion did not obtain enough votes to pass.
Chaves, who has insisted that he is the victim of political persecution, asserted that he will face this new process “with truth, logic, and the scrutiny of reason.”