New Costa Rican Administration

[Sam Wilson]

LiCR,

My hope with the new administration -- a political scientist as presidente, and the majority party in the Asemblea -- is that maybe they'll be able to get some important things done for the country.  I don't know what the average time to pass legislation is over the past few years, but the last time I looked into it, it was 36 freakin' months, with a builtin end-of-job date for all the executive and the legislative body of 48 months. Unless there is a continuation of policies from one administration to the next (like we seem to have happening right now) it seems darn near impossible to get important things done in the legislature.

The new presidenta having a background in political science could be a good thing -- but I'm never sure exactly what a political scientist actually is. I guess someone who studies government?  I've been a man of science since a wee lad and never understood where in the branches of science those political scientists fit in. Seems to me like "social sciences" are interesting, but not on the same level as "formal sciences" (like math and logic and computer stuff) and "natural sciences" (like biology, physics, and astronomy.)  Is an accountant a scientist as well?  I'm sure some will argue they are.

Anyway, on a personal level I'm just happy that my eldest got back in as legal counsel for a diputado.  It pays much better than being a regular lawyer for a government agency.  Only bummer is that it has a builtin end-of-job date of 48 months just like the presidency.

Right-wing populism might just be the proper cure for Costa Rica.  Of the current crop of female leaders in Latin America (Claudia Sheinbaum - Mexico, Rosario Murillo - Nicaragua, and Delcy Rodríguez - Venezuela) I expect our incoming Laura Fernández Delgado to be best positioned to actually make positive changes within her realm...  Maybe?  Just maybe?

Anyone else been paying attention to the political machinations of Costa Rica lately?

--

Sam

[Don Hickman]

Having never taken a class in political science, I have no idea what one is either.  Lol

As for the new president in CR, I´m hoping that she can get some things accomplished since her party now has a majority in the congress.  I thought that the election in January was remarkable given that her party won 31 seats.   When was the last time the president had a majority?  One of the huge problems for CR is the proliferation of political parties.  I don´t know how many fielded candidates for president this year but 4 years ago I remember that there were 27 different parties with candidates.  It appears that a majority of voters have decided upon a course of action.

Don

Virus-free.www.avg.com

--
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Living in Costa Rica" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to costa-rica-liv...@googlegroups.com.
To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/costa-rica-living/CAMrVHUTrUUsr5gJ_H8JNwo9WdP-rvmLdXv35ZbNqwi8ahZGEzw%40mail.gmail.com.

[Sam Wilson]

Hi Don,

I think maybe Joe studied government with more than the passing interest of a regular citizen.  Maybe he's a poli sci person?  jajaja

> As for the new president in CR, I´m hoping that she can get some things accomplished since her party now has a majority in the congress.

That is my sincere hope as well.  It is so rare to have a majority of the legislative body in sync with the presidential administration.  I've got a good feeling that things could really get accomplished within the next few years.

I'm sure you know more about Costa Rican history than your average bear.  What many are surprised to learn is that Costa Rica has flip-flopped a time or two between having a bicameral legislative system and the unicameral system we see today.  When Costa Rica changed from province to state back in 1823, and became part of the United Provinces of Central America there was the "Federal Congress" which was composed of 1 representative for every 30,000 Costa Ricans and there was also the "Federal Senate" composed of 2 members elected by each of the States.  In 1838 a Constituent Assembly was established which maintained the bicameral system (Congress initiated and approved laws and the Senate sanctioned them.)  The Political Constitution of 1844 which ended with the coup d'état of June 7, 1846, also established the bicameral system of representatives (like today's diputados) and a senate of not less than 5 members also elected at large. The Political Constitution of 1847 took things back to a unicameral system called "Chamber of Representatives" until the Political Constitution of 1859 which took things back to a bicameral system with the Chamber of Senators composed of 2 senators for each province plus the Chamber of Representatives.  That was the rule of law until the Political Constitution of 1871 went back to unicameral with the "Constitutional Congress" comporessed of 43 diputados (1 per 15,000 inhabitants but with the coup d'état of Tomás Guardia Gutiérrez it only became effective in 1882 until the Constitution of 1917 -- and then came back into force in 1948 after the Civil War.  The short-lived Political Constitution of 1917 put a bicameral system back in place with a Chamber of Deputies (1 per 20,000 inhabitants) and 3 senators. That stayed in place until the Civil War in 1948 and the Political Constitution of 1949 which established pretty much the unicameral system we have today.  The number of diputados was fixed at 45 until such time the population exceeded 1,350,000 inhabitants.  In 1961 we got the number of diputados fixed at 57 requiring a 29 diputado majority or a coalition to get things done.

From 1953-1958, the PLN had the majority of the 45 diputados with 30.  They lost the majority in 1958 with the rise of the PRN, but the PLN regained the majority in 1962 when the number of diputados went to 57 and kept it until 1974 when we had 8 different parties represented in the Asemblea.  In 1982 the PLN once again regained the majority until 1990 when the PUSC took the majority in the Asemblea (1990-1994.)  Since the PUSC lost their majority in 1994 we have not had a single party majority rule the Asemblea until today (2026.)  It has been awhile!  ;-)

Counting the 2 parties that formed the Citizen Action Coalition to present a single candidate (Claudia Dobles Camargo) there were 21 parties fielding a presidential candidate in 2026 and I think 25 parties that fielded diputado candidates.  Only 5 parties got seats in the Asemblea this last go around.  Partido Pueblo Soberano got 31 seats, PLN a distant 2nd with 17 and Frente Amplio got back up to 7 seats.

 

My oldest daughter was running around the Asemblea today as the first day of work for the new legislative body.  Next week we'll get the new prez.

--

Sam

To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/costa-rica-living/CAKJ00989HEWXDz06M4EuW636LAHGGRwhjrnM3ib%2B%3DMiSK%2B9i0w%40mail.gmail.com.

[Joe Harrison]

Sam et al:   Yes, it's true that I'm a bonafide political scientist (A.B. Notre Dame; M.A. U Tennessee).  I know some political theory and history, and more than I want to know about how Congress works (I worked for 3 different MCs, all GOP.)  But all that was long ago and far away--geographically and mentally).  

I never considered a run for public office; (I got my jollies in college by holding 3 student political positions).  Being a political scientist is no qualification for public office.  And I never had an interest in serving in elected public office.  In no way does calling yourself a political scientist give you qualifications for public office.  It simply means you've studied things like political theory/history/political statistics and how parties operate, both in your country and in others.   It has nothing  to do with qualification or justification for elective office.   joe

To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/costa-rica-living/CAMrVHUS5X6gy-p-Ph2ynoRNeXTWaM9C6d65ZB1gcyC4NqRtruw%40mail.gmail.com.

[Sam Wilson]

Ah, Joe...  I would vote for you!  jajaja.

I suspect not many considered her Poli Sci background as a big reason to vote for Laura Fernández.  A news report from right after the election said:

Fernández wins Costa Rican presidency, steering Latin America further right

The rightwing populist Laura Fernández has won Costa Rica’s presidential election in a landslide after promising to crack down on rising violence linked to the cocaine trade.

Fernández cites the iron-fisted Salvadoran president Nayib Bukele, who has locked up thousands of suspected gang members without charge, as an inspiration on how to tackle crime. Bukele was the first foreign leader to congratulate her.

Fernández has vowed to complete construction of a maximum-security prison modelled on Bukele’s brutal Terrorism Confinement Center. She has also promised to stiffen prison sentences and to impose a Bukele-style state of emergency in areas worst hit by crime.

Guess it was just a regular ole "tough on crime" stance that got her elected.

Even in the outback folks are fed up with the narco crimes as well as petty crimes.  Now they even frown upon the coppers walking a beat or busting a couple of ribs.  Back in the day that kept things from getting out of hand around here.  Now even the stupid crackheads easily out maneuver the coppers who hesitate to leave the comfort of their office after dark...  :-(

--

Sam

To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/costa-rica-living/CAMAkr%3DKv-eDcM4pB8-qXvLGYD3k%3De8XxqOeUN8WTNT-qRDL2dg%40mail.gmail.com.

[gene]

im afraid of the dark too!!!

boogie man!! 

Sent from my Galaxy

To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/costa-rica-living/CAMrVHUQZFJJOEpPO4BJjiKfp8mfZwVTiFdg%3DvAE-%2BgO2%2BQ3%2BKA%40mail.gmail.com.