Q COSTARICA —In one week, on December 16, the Legislative Assembly will vote on the report recommending lifting President Rodrigo Chaves’s immunity. Pilar Cisneros, head of the ruling party’s legislative bloc, confirmed that the president will be present for this historic process.
Unlike the previous time, when Chaves was absent of his own volition, this time the President wishes to participate.
This means that Chaves will have the opportunity to address the full legislature regarding what he considers anomalies in the process of political belligerence; he will also be able to answer questions from the legislators.
The discussion will take place from 2:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m., followed by the vote.
To remove the president’s immunity, 38 votes are needed, so it will depend on the votes of the Partido Unidad Social Cristiana (PUSC) and Nueva República parties. Previously, legislators from those two parties stalled the process when a supposed crime of extortion, essentially a type of corruption, was discussed.
The Case
The legislators will vote on a majority report recommending that Chaves’s immunity be lifted for 15 alleged acts of political belligerence. The legislators analyzed the issue at the request of the Tribunal Supremo de Elecciónes (TSE)—Supreme Electoral Tribunal.
Belligerence consists of using public resources or making public statements to favor the presidential candidacy of a political party.
If found guilty, Chaves would be barred from holding public office for up to four years and, in the most extreme scenario, could be removed from his current position as President, whose term ends naturally on May 6, 2026.
The final decision regarding his immunity in this new case will be made by the full legislature.
If the required 38 votes are obtained, Chaves will lose his immunity, a legal protection that shields the president from prosecution while in office.
If immunity is lifted, the TSE can proceed with the investigation.
It would also be the first time in the history of Costa Rica that something like this has happened.