Costa Rica is a republic in which the presidency sits at the center of national executive authority. Laura Fernández serves as President of Costa Rica, combining the roles of head of state and head of government under the country's constitutional framework.
Costa Rica is a presidential republic in which the president is the central national executive and serves as head of state and, in constitutional terms, head of government or chief executive. The president appoints or directs the cabinet under the rules of the constitution, while the legislature has a separate mandate and exercises lawmaking, budgetary, and oversight functions.
Legislative authority is exercised through a unicameral national parliament or assembly. It passes legislation, approves the budget, and performs the oversight and appointment functions assigned to it by the constitution. The judiciary is formally separate from the political branches, with the highest courts responsible for interpreting law and, where the constitutional system provides for it, reviewing constitutional questions.
Costa Rica is a unitary state, meaning sovereign authority is principally vested in national institutions, although local and regional governments exercise powers assigned by law. The constitution defines the relationship among the executive, legislature, judiciary, and subnational administration. Political authority is exercised through the constitutional institutions described above, with elections, parliamentary confidence, or other constitutional procedures determining who holds office.
