A group of employees from Costa Rica’s judicial system will hold a vigil Wednesday evening “to raise their voices for the democracy” and for the independence of the judicial branch.
Organizers of the event, which will be held at the Plaza de la Justicia in central San José, in front of the Supreme Court, said the vigil aims to express dissatisfaction with decisions made by lawmakers who voted last week to reject Justice Fernando Cruz’s re-election to the Constitutional Chamber of the Supreme Court, or Sala IV.
Activities start at 5 p.m. Several Costa Rican bands will be performing throughout the night. The artist lineup includes Bernal Villegas, Pato Barraza, Esteban Monge, Dionisio Cabal, Vico Porras, Goico, Manuel Monestel, Nils, Luis Angel Castro, Walter Benavides, Francisco Murillo and Johnny Schroeder.
Participants are asked to bring a candle as a symbol of support.
Judicial branch employees also will hold a march on Thursday called “The March of Silence,” starting at 10 a.m. at the Plaza de la Justicia. Demonstrators will then head towards the Legislative Assembly, located one block north.
On Nov. 15, lawmakers voted to reject Cruz’s re-election to the Sala IV. That move sparked a political firestorm, with critics saying legislators were attempting to disrupt the country’s balance of power between the legislative and judicial branches.
A final decision will be made by Sala IV after lawmakers on Tuesday appealed a decision by Legislative Assembly President Víctor Emilio Granados to reinstate Cruz to another eight-year term.
National Liberation Party’s top lawmaker Fabio Molina said later at a press conference that Cruz’s election “is now a closed chapter for the Legislative Assembly.”
