Costa Rica Legislative Assembly delays Constitutional Chamber appointments

The Costa Rican Legislative Assembly is facing criticism for delaying the appointment of substitute magistrates for the Constitutional Chamber. Although the appointments for nine positions have been expired since last December, the ruling party, Pueblo Soberano, has repeatedly blocked the selection process.

Following a ruling by the Constitutional Chamber (Sentence 29344-2026) which mandated that the Assembly must select candidates from a list provided by the Court, the Assembly has introduced new procedural delays. A motion presented by José Miguel Villalobos was passed to return the list to the Appointments Commission to verify if the 18 candidates still wish to participate. This move effectively resets the process despite previous judicial orders to proceed with the existing nomination list.