In recent months, the Supreme Electoral Tribunal (TSE) of Costa Rica has faced criticism from some sectors, including the Executive Branch. The government claimed that a “gag” was imposed on its institutions at the start of the electoral silence period, which is standard during election cycles.
Eugenia Zamora Chavarría, president of the TSE, responded to these criticisms by emphasizing that the institution continues to fulfill its constitutional duties. She stated, “The Tribunal is a control body like the Judiciary, the Comptroller General of the Republic, and each one has different functions. But they always have to make decisions that are not pleasing to everyone. When you have to remind people about legal frameworks and constitutional limits, this becomes part of the discussion. Decisions made by the Tribunal or actions by the executive branch that require reminders about process rules are included in this.”
Zamora clarified that legal restrictions apply to public officials and members of top government bodies. She said, “It is not a gag imposed by the Tribunal; these are the rules of the game: The public sector remains silent so that citizens, political parties, and voters can speak.”
Despite ongoing criticism, Zamora pointed out that surveys conducted by the Center for Research and Political Studies (CIEP) consistently rank TSE among Costa Rica’s five highest-rated institutions. In a survey published on January 28, TSE received a score of 6.8 out of 10.
“It is important that today (Wednesday) we all learned about CIEP’s survey results and saw that the Tribunal maintains the same rating as in recent years. There is public trust in what we do,” Zamora said.
She also highlighted that security measures implemented by TSE in recent weeks will ensure reliable election results.
