TSE Rejects Referendum
On Death Penalty
The Tribunal Supremo de
Elecciones (TSE)
rejected a request by a
citizen to hold a
referendum on the death
penalty.
Clarence Sánchez
petitioned the TSE for
authorization to collect
signatures, as required
by law, to hold a public
vote on reinstating the
deal penalty in Costa
Rica.
The magistrates of the
TSE rejected the
petition saying that the
reform is
unconstitutional and
that such reforms can
only be called on when
there is already a
pre-legislative process,
which does not exist in
this case.
The Court magistrates
further explained that
when the legislature
wants to make an
amendment to the
Constitution, there is a
lengthy process
involved.
The death penaly was
abolished in Costa Rica
in 1882 during the Tomás
Guardia Gutiérrez
administration. The
abolishment was
incorporated into the
constitution of the time
and incorporated into
the country's new
constitution (the
current) passed in 1949.
The only process
approved by the TSE to
start collecting
signatures that can lead
to a referendum is by
opponents to civil
marriages by
homosexuals.
For a referendum to be
held on that question
the proponents have to
collected 136.751
signatures or 5% of the
registered voters.
The one and only
referendum vote ever
held in Costa Rica was
for the Tratado de Libre
Comercio (TLC), which
was held on October 7,
2007. |
