Q COSTARICA — “In the presence of our Lord, President Rodrigo Chaves asserted that he would ‘give every effort I can, and that Laura Fernández allows me to,’ to reclaim the Judiciary from “the corrupt political elite of Costa Rica.”
With only days to the end of his mandate, it was during the inauguration of the Caño Negro bridge in El Castillo de Peñas Blancas, San Ramón, that Chaves delivered one of the strongest speeches he has given in his four years in office.
During his address, he asserted that it is possible to secure the 38 votes (super majority) required in the Legislative Assembly to “cleanse the Judiciary of its corruption.”
Starting May 1st, his government will lead the country with 31 pro-government legislators aligned with the political project led by Rodrigo Chaves and Laura Fernández as the new president on May 8.
“The important thing is that the people of Costa Rica have recovered both branches of government, the Legislative and the Executive; “Obviously, we are missing the Judiciary, and before you, and before the constant presence of our Lord, I swear that I will give every effort I can, and that Doña Laura will allow me, to also recover that power of the Republic (…) You took over the Legislative Assembly, you took over Zapote, and with God’s grace, of the 57 representatives you sent to Congress, you will find 38 patriots to finish cleaning up the last bastion of the corrupt political elites, to remove and cleanse the garbage from the Judiciary,” Chaves said.
Chaves’s words hint at the possibility that he will be in the government of Laura Fernández.
“The people are more united than ever, despite the fact that there are people who say that Pilar Cisneros and I burned bridges (…) If we hadn’t fought, I wouldn’t be able to look at myself in the mirror.”
“They instilled fear in us for the 38, some left with the lie that they (we) want to set up a dictatorship, what we wanted was to bring down the dictatorship and empower you, the owners of the homeland,” he said.
While there’s no official word yet, rumors suggest Chaves might take the role of Minister of the Presidency (Chief of Staff) in Laura Fernández’s government, who will be sworn in as Costa Rica’s 50th president on May 8.
Under Costa Rican law, certain high-ranking public officials—including the President and government ministers—enjoy immunity from prosecution while in office.
Thus, if Chaves, as a minister in the new government, would keep the same legal immunity he had as president against multiple challenges, including accusations of corruption and political belligerence, meaning it would take 38 votes in the Legislative Assembly to remove it and allow prosecution.