“Form of state
“Presidential democracy with a Legislative Assembly

“The executive
“The head of state is the president, who is elected for four years by universal adult suffrage and appoints a cabinet as well as the heads of public agencies and the Banco Central de Costa Rica (the Central Bank). Carlos Alvarado Quesada of the Partido Acción Ciudadana (PAC) took office in May 2018; his term finishes in May 2022

“National legislature
“The Legislative Assembly, a 57-member single chamber, is directly elected for a four-year term by universal adult suffrage. Its directorate is elected on May 1st of each year and is in charge of leading the debate during each annual legislative period

“Legal system
“Supreme Court at the apex of a subordinate court system; magistrates are elected by the Legislative Assembly for eight-year term”

Source: The Economist Global Intelligence Unit. Costa Rica: Political Structure. Last accessed Oct. 30, 2019.

“Costa Rica is a democratic, free and independent republic.  Its government is popular, representative, alternative and responsible, exercised by three supreme powers which are distinct and independent of each other: Executive Power, Legislative Power and Judicial Power.

“The Costa Rican State has also a Supreme Elections Tribunal with the same rank and independence as the other powers.  This tribunal is in charge exclusively of organizing, directing and supervising all acts concerning suffrage.

“The Executive Power is composed by the President of the Republic, two Vice presidents and a Cabinet of Government chosen by the President.  The President of the Republic is, simultaneously, Head of Government and Head of State.

“The President and Vice presidents are elected every four years by direct vote of all citizens over 18 years.  There have been uninterrupted elections since the promulgation of the current Constitution in 1949.”

Source: Government Structure. Embassy of Costa Rica to the Kingdom of Belgium, the Grand-Duchy of Luxembourg, and Mission to the European Union. Last accessed Nov. 5, 2019.

Health Systems Facts is a project of the Real Reporting Foundation. We provide reliable statistics and other data from authoritative sources regarding health systems in the US and sixteen other nations.

Page last updated Oct. 23, 2022 by Doug McVay, Editor.