On October 7, 2025, Costa Rica’s political landscape was jolted yet again as the Supreme Electoral Tribunal (TSE) made an unprecedented move, urging the National Assembly to strip President Rodrigo Chaves of his immunity. This bold request, which would allow Chaves to face formal accusations of political interference, marks a dramatic escalation in a saga that has already seen the president narrowly escape prosecution on corruption charges just weeks prior.
The TSE, Costa Rica’s highest authority on electoral matters, consists of a panel of independent judges tasked with safeguarding the fairness and integrity of the country’s elections. According to the Associated Press, the tribunal’s latest action follows a wave of complaints from lawmakers and party leaders, all alleging that President Chaves has overstepped his bounds by using his office to meddle in the upcoming February 2026 presidential election. After reviewing the complaints, the TSE reached a unanimous decision: the allegations were admissible and serious enough to warrant further action.
At the heart of the matter is Article 270 of Costa Rica’s Electoral Act, which stipulates that the Legislative Assembly must approve any move to lift a sitting president’s immunity when charges concern the head of state. The TSE, having resolved the complaints in favor of further investigation, has formally sent its findings to the Assembly—a procedural step that could determine whether Chaves faces legal scrutiny before the nation’s next election.
The accusations against Chaves are twofold. First, the TSE has charged that the president repeatedly violated strict prohibitions on public officials’ involvement in election-related matters. Specifically, the tribunal alleges that Chaves openly backed his party’s candidate for the February 1, 2026 presidential election, using his platform to influence the outcome. According to the AP, the electoral court stated, “Chaves has repeatedly violated the prohibition on public officials participating in or referencing issues related to the election.” This kind of interference, the TSE argues, undermines the democratic process and the neutrality expected of a sitting president during campaign season.
But the controversy doesn’t stop there. Back in April 2025, the prosecutor’s office leveled even graver charges against Chaves, accusing him of concusión—abuse of authority for personal gain. The allegations are detailed: prosecutors claim that Chaves, along with the Minister of Culture, coerced $32,000 from a Central American Bank for Economic Integration contract, funneling the funds to Federico Cruz, a close friend and advisor to the president. Cruz, for his part, now faces his own criminal charges in a separate trial. If convicted of abuse of authority, Chaves could face up to eight years in prison.
The legal and political drama intensified in July 2025, when the Supreme Court weighed in, supporting the prosecution’s case and urging lawmakers to strip the president’s immunity so he could be tried on corruption charges. The stage was set for a historic showdown in the National Assembly. In August, Chaves appeared before the Assembly’s committee, where he forcefully denied all allegations, calling the proceedings a “politically motivated judicial coup d’état.” He also took aim at the TSE, criticizing its campaign rules as overly restrictive. “They prevent people from having the right to be informed,” Chaves argued, framing himself as a victim of overzealous regulators and political adversaries.
The Assembly’s response was historic in its own right. On September 22, 2025, lawmakers held a vote to decide whether to lift Chaves’ immunity—the first such vote regarding a sitting president in Costa Rican history. The outcome was close but definitive: the motion fell short of the supermajority required, garnering only 34 of the 38 votes needed. For Chaves, it was a narrow escape, and for the country, it was an unprecedented exercise in constitutional checks and balances.
Now, with the TSE’s latest move, the question of Chaves’ immunity is once again front and center. The tribunal’s decision to send a new court-sanctioned attempt to the Assembly raises the stakes for both the president and the nation’s political institutions. Will lawmakers change their minds in the span of just a few weeks? Or will the Assembly once again protect the president, despite mounting legal and ethical concerns?
According to the Associated Press, Chaves has not made any public comment on the TSE’s recent request. His silence stands in stark contrast to his vocal defense during the previous round of allegations. Still, his earlier statements leave little doubt about his position: Chaves has consistently denied any wrongdoing, insisting that he is the target of a politically motivated campaign to remove him from office. “I am the victim of a politically motivated prosecution,” he declared during the corruption proceedings, a refrain that has become familiar to both his supporters and detractors.
For many observers, the ongoing saga is as much about the strength of Costa Rica’s democratic institutions as it is about the fate of one embattled president. The TSE’s willingness to challenge the head of state, and the Assembly’s unprecedented vote, signal a judiciary and legislature willing to assert their independence—even in the face of intense political pressure. Yet the outcome remains uncertain. The Assembly’s previous vote suggests that support for lifting Chaves’ immunity is significant but not overwhelming, and it is unclear whether new allegations of electoral interference will sway enough lawmakers to reach the necessary threshold.
Meanwhile, the country’s political climate has grown increasingly tense. Supporters of Chaves argue that the charges are little more than a thinly veiled attempt by the political establishment to oust a president who has challenged the status quo. They point to his criticisms of the TSE and his calls for greater transparency as evidence of his commitment to democratic values. Opponents, on the other hand, see the allegations as part of a troubling pattern of abuse of power, warning that failure to hold the president accountable could erode public trust in Costa Rica’s institutions.
As the Assembly prepares to consider the TSE’s latest request, all eyes are on San José. The stakes could hardly be higher: at issue is not only the future of President Chaves, but the resilience of Costa Rica’s democracy itself. Will lawmakers rise to the occasion, or will political inertia win the day? In a country long celebrated for its stability and rule of law, the coming weeks may prove to be a defining test.
One thing is clear: Costa Rica finds itself at a crossroads, with its institutions, its leaders, and its citizens all grappling with questions of accountability, transparency, and the very meaning of democracy in the 21st century.
