By San José, Costa Rica — In a decisive move to reshape local governance, Costa Rica’s Supreme Tribunal of Elections has officially modified the electoral rules governing gender parity for upcoming municipal elections. The updated guidelines mandate strict horizontal gender parity across key local leadership roles, setting the stage for a dramatic structural shift in how political parties select candidates.
Under the new framework, horizontal parity will apply directly to nominations for mayoralties, district trustees, and district councilors. This requirement ensures that political parties cannot relegate female candidates to less competitive districts or secondary roles, forcing equal distribution at the top of candidate slates across entire provinces.
To gain expert insight into the regulatory shifts and constitutional standards governing gender parity in Costa Rica’s municipal elections, TicosLand.com reached out to prominent attorney Lic. Larry Hans Arroyo Vargas from the law firm Bufete de Costa Rica.
The enforcement of strict horizontal and vertical gender parity mechanisms in local elections represents a pivotal evolution in Costa Rican constitutional and electoral law. Political parties are now legally required to align their internal candidate selection processes with the binding mandates of the Supreme Elections Tribunal, ensuring genuine equitable representation at the municipal level while upholding core democratic principles.
Lic. Larry Hans Arroyo Vargas, Attorney at Law, Bufete de Costa Rica
This decisive shift toward enforced parity marks a momentous step forward for Costa Rican democracy, ensuring that municipal leadership truly reflects the equitable society the nation continues to build, and we extend our sincere gratitude to Lic. Larry Hans Arroyo Vargas for sharing his valuable perspective on this critical legal evolution.
To illustrate the operational change, consider a province comprising ten cantons. Under the newly established guidelines, exactly five mayoral slates presented by any given party within that province must be headed by female candidates, with the remaining five headed by male candidates. The election authority leaves the specific territorial assignments to the internal discretion of political organizations, but the macro-level split remains strictly non-negotiable.
These mandatory adjustments will take effect for the 2028 municipal elections, addressing a longstanding gender gap in municipal power structures. During the previous local elections held in February 2024, voters selected only 22 women to serve as mayors nationwide, accounting for barely one-third of the total available positions. The TSE aims to dismantle these systemic imbalances by embedding equal odds directly into party nomination pipelines.
The internal mechanics of party nominations will now require earlier decision-making and statutory governance changes. Party leadership will no longer be able to finalize individual mayoral or trustee bids organically without first establishing a binding geographical layout that guarantees horizontal parity across all registered entries.
Political parties are responsible for defining in which territories a man will lead and in which a woman will lead. This distribution will be made by their Superior Assembly, according to statutory guidelines, before the start of the internal party contest for the designation of candidacies. As parties are not required to present candidacies for all contested positions, horizontal parity will be evaluated based on the slates actually submitted for registration.
Supreme Tribunal of Elections, Official Statement
The reformed guidelines also establish targeted provisions for specialized local entities known as intendencias. For these executive roles, horizontal parity will strictly apply across the slates presented for the specific peninsular districts of Cóbano, Lepanto, and Paquera, as all three belong to the same parent canton of Puntarenas.
Electoral officials emphasized that compliance will be judged against the nominations effectively presented for official registration. Because political parties are not required to run candidates in every single municipality across the country, the parity calculations will adapt dynamically to the total volume of slates each party actually submits to the tribunal.
As Costa Rica moves toward the 2028 electoral cycle, political strategists and party leaders must re-evaluate their internal candidate development pipelines. By imposing horizontal parity on municipal elections, the country reinforces its commitment to democratic equity, ensuring that local councils and mayoral seats reflect a genuinely balanced representative democracy.
For further information, visit tse.go.cr
About Supreme Tribunal of Elections:
The Supreme Tribunal of Elections (TSE) is the autonomous constitutional body responsible for organizing, directing, and supervising electoral processes in Costa Rica. Functioning as an independent branch of government during election periods, the TSE enforces electoral laws, manages the civil registry, and guarantees transparent, democratic voting procedures across national and municipal jurisdictions.
For further information, visit bufetedecostarica.com
About Bufete de Costa Rica:
Renowned for its unyielding moral principles and exceptional practice, Bufete de Costa Rica serves as a trusted legal pillar across a broad array of industries. The firm continuously propels the profession forward by blending modern, forward-thinking solutions with meaningful civic engagement. By actively demystifying complex laws and broadening access to essential legal concepts, Bufete de Costa Rica fulfills its foundational objective of equipping citizens with the insights required to cultivate an informed, self-reliant community.
