The Evolution of Costa Rica's Government

           From as far back as 10,000 B.C.E. people who made their way across the frozen land bridge connecting Asia and North America and down the North American continent inhabited modern day Costa Rican land.  Without a significant unifying power imposing itself in the area for thousands of years, distinct cultural groups essentially governed themselves, led by tribal chiefs called “caciques”. 
 

Tupac Amaru II, an Andean cacique who led a massive rebellion in 1781

           

           When the Spanish arrived on Costa Rican land in the early 16^th century, widespread disease and advanced, lethal weaponry enabled the Spaniards to force natives under the rule of the Captaincy General of Guatemala (or Kingdom of Guatemala), a province of New Spain that included the modern day countries of Nicaragua, Honduras, El Salvador, Belize, Guatemala, and the Mexican state of Chiapas, for the next 300 years. 

The flag of New Spain

During this period, Costa Rica was not considered a colony, but part of the Spanish kingdom, meaning all governance was mandated to obey the orders of the crown, specifically those of Isabella’s’ Kingdom of Castille through which several major expeditions to the “new world” were funded.  Due to the influence of Christianity in the Spanish re-conquest of the Iberian Peninsula from the Moors, religious figures were not only charged with promulgating the Roman Catholic faith, but also granted governmental duties in New Spain.  Despite Spain’s efforts to structure and develop the land, however, the territory remained largely uncultivated and impoverished due to the impracticality of a significant slave labor force.  Frequent conflicts with natives forced Spanish settlers to run small, subsistence-based farms, even including the governor in 1719!

May 15th: Farmer's Day in Costa Rica

           Costa Rica achieved independence from Spanish rule in the 1810-1821 Mexican War of Independence, subsequently becoming part of the Federal Republic of Central America.  To commemorate the victory, the country began printing coins highlighting important national events.  In a 2016 article published in the Costa Rican journal Reflexiones entitled From the genie to the indians: medals and coins proclaimed new governments in costarica (1821-1850), authors Zamora and Hidalgo argue,

“In addition to being a method of payment, the coins served the purpose of illustrating forms of government and governmental priorities through their imprinted symbols, and given the shortage or lack of newspapers and the high rate of illiteracy, the figures printed on the pieces of metal were intended for the masses.”   

Fifteen years later, in 1838, Costa Rica officially gained full independence.  In 1869, Costa Rica established a democratic government and after the Costa Rican Civil War of 1948, the government drafted a new constitution modeled after that of the United States.  However, very much unlike the United States, Costa Rica abolished its own military.

            Today, Costa Rica’s government is regarded as a democratic republic.  The governmental framework grants citizens and foreigners equality before the law, the right to own property, the right of petition and assembly, freedom of speech, and the right to habeas corpus.  The index of economic freedom, generated from an evaluation of ten freedoms based on the amount of economic autonomy from government intervention, rates Costa Rica a 65.6/100.  Like the United States, the structure of the Costa Rican government is divided into independent executive, legislative, and judicial branches.  The executive branch consists of a president, two vice presidents, and a cabinet of 17 members called the Council of Government (or Consejo de Gobierno).  The legislative branch consists of a unicameral body composed of 57 members elected by proportional representation.  And the judicial Branch contains 24 judges, a special electoral tribunal, and an independent body that oversees each election called the Supreme Elections Tribunal.  Governors oversee the nation’s seven provinces of Alajuela, Cartago, Guanacaste, Heredia, Limón, Puntarenas, and San José.  Provinces are divided into 83 counties, which are then further divided into a total of 463 districts overseen by municipal councils.

Current President Carlos Andrés Alvarado Quesada

         

           In Costa Rican history, elected presidents have belonged to ten distinct political parties.  Two have held the most power in government since 1949: The National Liberation Party (currently with 17 representatives in the legislature) and the Social Christian Unity Party (currently with 9 representatives in the legislature).  Current leadership includes president Carlos Andrés Alvarado Quesada of the Citizens’ Action party (currently with 10 representatives in the legislature) and at 38 the youngest president in modern Costa Rican history, vice-president Epsy Campbell Barr (the first Afro-Costa Rican to serve as vice-president and first woman of African descent to hold a vice-presidential position anywhere in the continental Americas), vice president Marvin Rodriguez Cordero, president of the legislative assembly Carolina Hidalgo Herrera and president of the court Carlos Chinchilla Sandí.  Despite the recent 2018 elections showcasing national unity, current problems facing the country include environmental conservation policy, prison system reform, addressing the fiscal deficit, and human trafficking.  Not to mention Costa Rica’s upcoming win-or-be-eliminated soccer match with heavyweight Brazil in the group stage of the World Cup!