Hundreds of people from Nicoya and Liberia joined the national protest in defense of the judiciary, amid a climate marked by challenges and actions by the executive and legislative branches against the third branch of government.
Court staff, college students, civil society organizations, and the general public demonstrated with banners, flags, and even traditional music. The messages focused primarily on respect for the separation of powers and democracy.
In Nicoya, the rally took place outside the Judiciary’s offices. Photo: José Pablo Román.
The power struggle stems from a lack of agreement and the ruling party bloc’s delay in the Legislative Assembly in appointing nine justices to the Constitutional Chamber.
The conflict erupted following the Constitutional Chamber’s decision to extend the terms of its alternate justices, after the ruling party bloc—which holds a majority in the Assembly—twice rejected the list of candidates proposed by the court.
President Laura Fernández accused a segment of the Judiciary of attempting a “coup d’état” by assuming powers that, in her view, belong solely to the Assembly. The Office of the President reported that it filed a complaint with the Supreme Court against the justices for alleged malfeasance (acting outside the law).
On the other hand, the constitutional justices claim that the budget cuts to the Judiciary pushed by the Executive Branch seek to weaken its operational capacity. Justice Jorge Araya even described these actions as a “budgetary coup.”
“Being a patriot means loving the country and its democracy,” reads one of the signs carried by a protester in Nicoya. “Democracy needs an independent judiciary,” reads another banner displayed at the protests in Liberia.
Around 300 people gathered at both protest sites. The demonstrations took place peacefully.
“Democracy” was the word most frequently used by the protesters with whom La Voz spoke at both protest sites.
“Democracy doesn’t grow on its own; we have to take care of it as a country. It’s very easy to lose it and very difficult to regain it,” commented Edgar Vega Briceño, vice dean of the Chorotega campus of the National University.
Although there is no official figure, approximately 300 people attended each rally. The events took place peacefully, without any altercations.
“The separation of powers is what defines a democracy—that each branch has its own authority,” added Rocío Serrano, a resident of Sámara.
Like Rocío, people from other communities—such as Hojancha, Santa Cruz, Villareal, and even Lepanto and Cóbano in the province of Puntarenas—traveled to Nicoya.
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