Faces of Costa Rica

Constitution of 1949

The 1948 revolution and the subsequent 1949 constitution are credited with creating the Costa Rica that exists today. The 1949 constitution is still in place, although amendments have been made over the 55 years since its implementation.

The Constitution abolished the army-- even today Costa Rica has no military, except for a small police force. Women were given the right to vote. Banks were nationalized. It implemented a separation of powers between the different government branches (executive, judiciary and legislative) and barred the a president from being elected for a consecutive term. It also created an autonomous agency, the Supreme Electoral Tribunal (TSE), which conducted elections, granted recognition to political parties applying for status, and evaluated election results.

The Constitution also included social, economic and educational guarantees.

• Costa Rican Constitution (in English)