Costa Rica | International IDEA

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2014

Question	Value
Legal provisions for mandatory referendums at national level	No
Legal provisions for optional referendums at national level	Yes
Legal provisions for citizens' initiatives at national level	No
Legal provisions for agenda initiatives at national level	Yes
Legal provisions for recall at national level	No
Legal provisions for direct democracy at the regional level	No
Legal provisions for direct democracy at the local level	No
Legal basis for direct democracy at the national level	Constitutional
Legal basis for administrative requirements at the national level	Constitutional Specific laws/legislation
Who administers direct democracy mechanisms at the national level?	Independent electoral commission
First referendum/initiative held	1870
Has there been a national referendum since 1980?	Yes

Question	Value
Issues in relation to which referendums are mandatory at the national level	None
Issues in relation to which referendums are optional at the national level	Constitutional amendments Any law proposal, except those clearly excluded
Issues excluded from being the subject of referendums at the national level	Taxes and public expenditure commitments See also source
Issues of sub-national referendums regulated at the national level	None
Who can initiate an optional referendum at the national level?	President Legislative majority Registered electors
Who drafts the referendum question?	See comments
Who decides on the final form of the ballot text?	Optional referendum - Legislature
Quorum requirements for a referendum to be valid	Optional referendum - turnout quorum
Requirements for a referendum to pass	Optional referendum - simple majority
Are referendum results binding?	Optional referendum - sometimes

Question	Value
Issues that can be proposed by citizens using the initiative process at the national level	Agenda initiatives - constitutional amendments Agenda initiatives - legislative proposals
Issues excluded from being the subject of an initiative at the national level	Taxes and public expenditure commitments See also sources
Who may propose the registration of an initiative?	Agenda initiative - a number of individuals
Materials to accompany an application for registration	Full proposed text
Who determines the title of an initiative?	Agenda initiative - proponents of the initiative
What disqualifies a proposed title of an initiative?	Not specified by legislation
Who is responsible for checking the legality of initiatives?	Legislature
At which stage legality check is conducted?	After its submission but before the vote on the initiative
Who decides the final ballot text when the initiative is put to a vote?	Not applicable
When does voting take place once an initiative is qualified for ballot?	Not applicable Not applicable

Question	Value
Which individuals/positions may be subject to the recall?
What are the grounds for recall?
What restrictions are there in relation to the time period in which an individual or position can be recalled?
When is the recall put to the vote?
When does the election to replace an individual who has been recalled take place?
Can an individual who is the subject of a recall stand on the ballot for his/her own replacement?

Question	Value
How many signatures are required to start the formal decision making stage of a direct democracy mechanism?	Referendum - proportion of the electorate Agenda Initiative - proportion of the electorate
What is the deadline for collecting required number of signatures?	Referendum - fixed time period
Restrictions in relation to the individuals who can sign the proposal	Referendum - signatories must be registered Agenda Initiative - signatories must be registered
Where can proposals be signed?	Anywhere At specified places
What information must signatories provide when signing the proposal?	Identity or voting card number
Restrictions in relation to signature collection	Collectors shall be accredited in the case of referendums. No provision in the case of initiatives.
What forms of checks are undertaken to verify signatures?	All signatures are checked
Who checks the signatures?	Agency responsible for the administration of direct democracy mechanisms

Disclaimer: Maps presented do not imply on the part of the Institute any judgement on the legal status of any territory or the endorsement of such boundaries, nor does the placement or size of any country or territory reflect the political view of International IDEA. Maps are used in order to add visual clarity to data.