Legislative Assembly

Legislative Assembly President Henry Mora on Monday evening asked the legislative appointments commission to immediately start the process of selecting candidates for ombudsman following the resignation Monday of Ofelia Taitelbaum.

At 2 p.m. on Tuesday Costa Rica's Culture Ministry issued a press release confirming they will not approve construction permits for a new complex that would have housed the Legislative Assembly in downtown San José.

A Costa Rican lawmaker introduced a bill Friday that could change the way development projects are evaluated from an environmental standpoint.

When La Nación journalist Álvaro Murillo set out to interview 25-year-old National Liberation Party lawmaker-elect Silvia Sánchez, from the province of Alajuela, he hoped to talk about the importance of bringing young, fresh faces to the Legislative Assembly. But what unfolded was perhaps one of the worst interviews in recent memory.

Representatives of a number of professional associations and private sector chambers expressed their concern on several technical and legal matters of the project to expand Route 32, the main access to the Caribbean, which will be financed with a loan from the government of China.

Following the Broad Front Party’s surprise failure to enter April’s second-round presidential election, many citizens have suggested a runoff simply will be a continuation of “politics as usual” in Costa Rica, and that no real political change will occur.

All but eight of 44 lawmakers present in the Legislative Assembly Monday night passed a bill in a first-round vote to discourage short-term investments from abroad when they hurt the local economy.

The attention on Costa Rica’s presidential election has focused mainly on four political parties, but 13 candidates participated, many of them knowing their chances of victory were slim to nil. Now, minority parties are hoping for a shot at gaining seats in the next legislature.

On Feb. 2, Costa Ricans will head to the polls to elect a new president and members of the Legislative Assembly. Though non-citizens can't vote, Election Day is still an exciting civic event for anyone in the country. Here are a few facts you should know.