Q COSTARICA — Costa Rica’s President Rodrigo Chaves Rodrigo returns to the Legislative Assembly again this Friday, this time for alleged political belligerence. Chaves said on Thursday that he will “have fun” during his appearance before the legislative committee that is studying a request for his removal from office filed by the Tribunal Supremo de Elecciones (TSE) — Electoral Authority.
The TSE is prosecuting him for alleged political campaigning under case number 25.230, which includes 15 complaints against the president.
The electoral law defines belligerence as a serious crime, which consists of using public resources to favor a specific party’s presidential candidate.
Previously, Chaves was subject to a similar process to lift his immunity for the alleged crime of extortion, which is essentially a form of corruption; however, the request did not receive enough votes in the plenary session.
Among those who initiated these proceedings are legislators Antonio Ortega, Fernando Mendoza, and Johanna Obando; the presidents of the Partido Liberación Nacional (PLN), Ricardo Sancho, and the the Legislative Assembly again this Friday, Fabián Solano; the presidential candidate for the Partido Esperanza Nacional (PEN), Claudio Alpízar; and citizens Óscar Aguilar and Giovanni Delgado.
Several of these complaints relate to various statements the president has made advocating for 40 legislators in the upcoming Legislative Assembly to achieve the “necessary reform.”
Another complaint concerns the Chaves administration’s use of the ‘jaguar’ image, despite its presence on the flag of the Partido Movimiento Tiempo de Valientes (Motiva) party, one of the groups forming the de facto coalition with the Partido Pueblo Soberano (PPSO), the party with which former Minister of the Presidency Laura Fernández is the presidential candidate.
The hearing, scheduled to begin at 9 a.m., is intended to hear the president’s position on the case.
On Wednesday, Chaves confirmed that he would attend, accompanied by his lawyer, José Miguel Villalobos. “We’re going to have a lot of fun,” he predicted.
Chaves and his legal representative insist that the magistrates’ request is unconstitutional, since they lack the authority to sanction the president for political belligerence, nor to request the removal of his immunity.
Villalobos maintains that impeachment proceedings only apply to criminal cases, such as the one that was being processed in Congress until September 22, in which the legislators did not obtain the minimum number of votes required (38) to strip the president of his immunity in a case involving alleged extortion.
As part of that process, the president held an unprecedented press conference on August 22, which lasted for several hours.
A similar format is expected this Friday.
So much so, that four of the five participants in this hearing will be returning. It’s worth recalling that, as part of the procedure established by the President of Legislature for this case, a special commission was formed with three legislators: Daniel Vargas from the ruling party, Rocío Alfaro from the Frente Amplio (FA) party.
During the last few months, the President has lashed out against the TSE , accusing it of “stretching” the Constitution, making arbitrary interpretations, and inventing crimes that are not found in the Constitution, the Penal Code, or the Electoral Code.
On Thursday, Chaves asked “the people” to join him in a “peace walk” and “defend democracy”.
A gathering of supporters is expected in the Plaza de la Democracia, located in front of the Legislative Assembly, in downtown San José. It is unclear if the “walk” will see the large group gathered in the same place on Wednesday, for their peaceful march to Casa Presidencial, in protest against Chaves’ administration.
However, a citizens’ group calls for boycott of President Chaves’s rally this Friday. The dozens of signatories of a letter assert that no one accompanies thousands of Costa Ricans every day when they go “to judicial and administrative offices to answer to the justice system.”
“In this case, it is a formal procedural requirement for initiating an investigation into alleged acts of political bias (or belligerence),” the document states, further clarifying that this is not an electoral political battle but a legal procedure that the president must attend to and that he should face with “transparency, composure, and respect.”
Furthermore, in the letter, the citizens state that the president is trying to use the people as a shield to protect himself and thus evade his responsibilities.
“This community defends democracy, peace, and justice,” the citizens say, adding that “we trust in the rule of law.”
Finally, the citizens stated that what the country needs is calm, truth, and trust, and reaffirmed their commitment to defending peace, equality, diversity, and justice, stating that they will not support what they consider to be ideas of hatred and revenge.
“In a democracy, power always belongs to the people,” the letter concludes. To date, it has been signed by more than 320 people and is still collecting signatures at this link.
The clashes with the TSE add to those Chaves has had during his presidency with the Supreme Court, the Attorney General’s Office, the Comptroller General’s Office, and the Legislative Assembly—institutions he frequently criticizes publicly.
The popularity of Rodrigo Chaves
An international academic survey prepared by the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill ranks Chaves among the most populist leaders in Latin America.
The State of the Nation Program (PEN) presented on Thursday the XXXI State of the Nation Report, in which it highlights that the president, Rodrigo Chaves, has low levels of adherence to the principles of political liberalism (6 out of 100 points) and high scores of populism (88 out of 100 points).