Q COSTARICA — Should President Rodrigo Chaves lose his immunity? That’s the big question facing Costa Rica’s legislators this Monday, starting at 2 p.m., when they’ll hold a historic session to debate and decide.
The controversy centers on the Attorney General’s Office charging the president with bribery. They say he pressured audiovisual producer Christian Bulgarelli to hand over US$32,000 to Federico Cruz, aka “Choreco,” from the payment Bulgarelli was supposed to get through a contract with the Central American Bank for Economic Integration (CABEI).
A few weeks back, the Special Legislative Commission looked into the matter and recommended lifting Chaves’ immunity by majority vote. But in the end, all the legislators will have a final say.
To strip Chaves of his immunity, at least 38 of the 57 legislators have to vote in favor—and right now, that doesn’t seem like a sure thing.
Most legislators have said they won’t announce their decision until Monday, right when the vote takes place.
So far, the count for lifting immunity sits around 34 votes, possibly climbing to 36. Some members of the Partido Liberación Nacional (PLN), which holds the largest number of legislators, have already said they’ll back it—people like Rodrigo Arias (president of the legislature) and Danny Vargas.
At a caucus meeting last Tuesday, where 14 of the 18 PLN legislators showed up, everyone voiced their support. Out of the four who weren’t there, at least three are expected to fall in line with the group, leaving maybe one who might vote against it—but nothing’s set in stone yet.
In favor
In addition to the 14 votes from the PLN, there are six from the Frente Amplio (FA) faction, which has already announced its support for the report recommending the removal of Chaves’ immunity.
Rocío Alfaro, a representative of the Frente Amplio and member of the Special Commission, said they reviewed the legal arguments, the facts, and the evidence in the file. They all agreed there’s enough reason for the case to move forward in court.
The five independent legislators—Kattia Cambronero, Johana Obando, Gloria Navas, Cynthia Córdoba, and María Marta Padilla—will also be included. Even though Padilla first asked to be excused, she’s now confirmed she’ll be attending after all.
“This is a historic issue, a very serious one, and I will vote affirmatively. I would not want my name, Gloria Navas, a representative, to go down in the annals of the Legislative Assembly if I did not vote in favor of lifting this immunity,” Navas said.
Two legislators of the Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) will be included in favor.
The divided faction of the Partido Unidad Social Cristiana (PUSC), with 9 legislators, is now part of the equation. Even though the presidential candidate, party leaders, and the National Assembly urged support, only four votes were confirmed in favor before the session began.
So far, Vanessa Castro is the only one who has publicly announced her vote in favor.
Against
At present, the ruling party, the Partido Progreso Social Democrático (PPSD), led by Pilar Cisneros, holds eight (of its nine) votes opposing the removal of the president’s immunity.
Cisneros admitted she’s been in talks with several legislators and has convinced some to reconsider their stance.
“Since entering politics, I’ve learned that nothing is certain except what happened yesterday. I’m not acting recklessly; many legislators seem to think there’s no solid case,” she said.
“Many have expressed serious doubts, so I’m hopeful the vote will lean toward maintaining immunity,” she added, noting she’s already made quite a few legislators question their position.
Cisneros said several have told her they plan to vote against stripping the president’s immunity, but declined to name them.
“Some have told me they won’t support it, but I won’t share names; others remain hesitant, and some won’t reveal their vote until the 22nd,” she explained.
Likely opponents include the six Nueva República faction, three PUSC legislators — Leslye Bojorges, Carlos Andrés Robles, and Melina Ajoy — plus independents Gilberth Jiménez and Luis Diego Vargas.
They may be joined by Joaquín Hernández and Luz Mary Alpízar from Progreso, though both say they won’t make up their minds until today.
Five hours
The legislative session will begin at 2 pm and run until 7 pm.
It starts with the reading of the majority report, which was approved by Andrea Álvarez from the PLN and Rocío Alfaro from the Frente Amplio. Right after that, those two, plus Daniel Vargas—the other legislative member—will each get 10 minutes to share their views.
Rodrigo Chaves was invited and offered 30 minutes to defend himself, but he chose not to attend.
Once the reports wrap up, the formal debate will open.
Every faction and independent legislator gets a chance to speak. Lawmakers without a party group have up to 4 minutes each. Since there are 7 of them, that adds up to 28 minutes.
Next, the PLN—being the largest in Congress—gets 76 minutes, or just over an hour. The PUSC and the ruling faction share 38 minutes, while the Frente Amplio and Nueva República together have up to 25 minutes.
Lastly, the Partido Liberal Progresista, with only two members, gets 9 minutes to speak.
If everyone uses their full time, voting will start about 5 minutes before 7 pm.
Calls from Casa Presidencial Spark Pressure Before Vote
Just days before the vote, five legislators told CR Hoy they received calls on Thursday, September 18, from Casa Presidencial. The purpose? To push them into switching their stance on lifting the president’s immunity.
Sources say the calls came during the morning hours of that day. Those who spoke described the tone as heavy with pressure—some even called it threatening—aimed at swaying their votes.
None of the legislators were willing to say who exactly placed the calls.
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