Costa Rica
Legislative Assembly
Oversight
Data on parliament’s oversight role and activities
Oversight tools
Parliament has the power to summon members of the government
Source
Legal documents that stipulate parliament's role.
Constitution of the Republic of Costa Rica, art. 121 §24
Parliament has the power to summon senior government officials
Source
Legal documents that stipulate parliament's role.
Constitution of Costa Rica, art. 121 §24
Parliament has the power to approve key government appointments
Key government appointments include, for example, ambassadors or the head of the central bank.
Approximate number of government appointments subject to parliamentary approval
0
Number of written questions asked, per year
17,394 (2021)
See historical data for this field.
Number of written questions answered by the government, per year
5,000 (2021)
See historical data for this field.
Notes
Data represents the total number of queries made per year and answers received, but data is not collected on the number of those queries that were directed to Executive Power and the number of responses received from Executive power.
Parliament has power to carry out inquiries
Yes
Source
Legal documents that stipulate parliament's role.
Constitution of the Republic of Costa Rica, art. 121, § 23.
Number of parliamentary inquiries, per year
14 (2021)
See historical data for this field.
Notes
Totals refer to investigative commissions.
Head of State and/or Government
Head of State and/or Government
Parliament’s role in the designation of the Head of Government
Some parliaments elect the Head of Government or approve the nomination for the Head of Government. Others do not play a role.
Parliament does not play a role
The Head of Government is also the Head of State
Yes
Parliament’s role
Parliament’s role in the designation of the Head of State
Some parliaments designate the Head of State or approve the nomination for the Head of Government. Others do not play a role.
Parliament does not play a role
Source
Legal documents that stipulate parliament's role.
Constitution, art. 139, alinea 2
Impeachment and confidence motions
Procedure for parliament
There is a procedure for parliament to dismiss or impeach the following persons/institution
There is a procedure to dismiss or impeach the following persons/institution: Not applicable (there is no procedure); The whole Government; The Head of Government; The Head of State; Individual members of the Executive; Other (please specify)
Individual members of the Executive
Source
Legal documents that stipulate parliament's role.
Constitution, art. 121 (9, 24) and 151
Chambers that play a role in the dismissal or impeachment
In bicameral parliaments: Chambers that play a role in the dismissal or impeachment: Lower chamber; Upper chamber; Not applicable
Not applicable
Impeachment Role
There is a procedure for parliament to express no confidence in the following persons/institution
There is a procedure for parliament to express no confidence in the following persons/institution: Not applicable (there is no procedure); The whole Government; The Head of Government; Individual members of the Executive; Other (please specify)
Not applicable (there is no procedure)
Chambers that play a role in motions of no confidence
In bicameral parliaments: Chambers that play a role in motions of no confidence: Lower chamber; Upper chamber; Not applicable
Not applicable
Parliament is automatically dissolved when a motion of no confidence is adopted
In some countries, the adoption of a motion of no confidence in the Government automatically leads to the dissolution of Parliament in certain countries. In other cases, a new government can be formed.
No