Costa Rican Government

A stable & transparent democracy safe for travelling.

Costa Rica is a democratic republic with three main powers of government: Executive, Legislative and Judicial. Its first elections were held in 1889, making Costa Rica the oldest democracy in Central America.

The Executive Branch is represented by the office of the President and its ministries. The President and Vice-Presidents are elected by the people for a period of 4 years, while the cabinet ministers are chosen solely by the elected president for the same period. The Legislative Branch is responsible for approving and making the laws which will be executed by the executive power. It consists of a chamber of 57 congressional leaders chosen by free elections for a period of 4 years.

The Judicial Branch is the Supreme Court. It is composed of 22 magistrates elected for a period of 8 years. The Supreme Court is the highest judicial body and is responsible for naming judges and tribunals. The Supreme Tribunal of Elections is considered Costa Rica’s fourth governmental branch, for it is the highest authority during elections to ensure everything goes according to law.

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