Introduction
Municipal elections in Costa Rica
On 4th February 2024, Costa Rica conducted its municipal elections, implementing an electronic voting system and a horizontal gender parity quota for all 6,212 elected posts. The quota required equal numbers of women and men on the lists of each party. Additionally, a provision allowed for limited re-election, up to two consecutive terms.
According to official data, only 31.93 per cent of the registered voters cast ballots in this election, continuing the trend of low voter turnout. The Electoral Observation Mission of the Organization of American States (OAS/EOM) expressed concerns about the further decline in electoral participation: “The high abstention rate remains a significant challenge for municipal elections and Costa Rican democracy. The OAS/EOM emphasises the importance of each electoral process as an opportunity for citizens to make their voices heard and urges various stakeholders to collaborate to address the disconnect between representatives and the represented.”
Moreover, a decline in bipartisanship and the emergence of new political forces significantly altered the local political landscape. The traditional parties, the National Liberation (Partido de Liberación Nacional, PLN) and Social Christian Unity (Unidad Social Cristiana, PUSC), experienced a reduction in their majority of mayoralties. Notably, this election marked the first instance in the history of local elections where the national government was not represented by any party. Due to formal nomination issues, new pro-government parties faced significant exclusions.
Association
Death threats against a Bribri Indigenous community member
On 20th February 2024, Marvin Ortiz Figueroa, a member of the Uniwak clan of the Bribri, received death threats and gunfire, allegedly from a landowner accused of illegal logging. According to the Iríria Sätkök Council, the South-South Struggle Coordinator (Coordinadora de Lucha Sur-Sur), Indigenous peoples and peasant-based organisations, this incident occurred as Ortiz Figueroa passed by the individual’s corral, 300 meters from the Yuavin school in the province of Limón, south of Costa Rica.
Both organisations have urged the Costa Rican authorities to promptly address and investigate complaints of illegal logging and other offences, ensuring appropriate actions and sanctions: “The state of Costa Rica is reminded of its duty to protect Indigenous Peoples and held accountable for any harm to Marvin Ortiz Figueroa and his family.”
Indigenous communities have risked safety for land recoveries, leading to conflict with ranchers over occupied territories. According to Front Line Defenders, “the lack of response from government officials and police forces makes the situation of Indigenous peoples in Costa Rica even more vulnerable in their fight for land demarcations and the regulation of the Law of Indigenous Autonomy.”
As a consequence, the Bribi people have been denouncing repression, underscoring that rights violations against them are perpetrated not only by non-state actors but also by the state. A relevant example is the killing of Bribri Indigenous leader Sergio Rojas in March 2019. Rojas was engaged in the defence of Indigenous rights in the face of the illegal occupation of their territories.
Intimidation against ancestral land reclaimers in the Cabécar Territory of China Kichá
In February and March 2024, at least 11 instances of arson have affected the Cabécar Indigenous Territory in China Kichá, according to reports from Indigenous rights organisations. The first fire was detected on 14th February at Kono Jú, the initial Cabécar territory reclaimed from non-Indigenous possession in 2019, located in southern Costa Rica.
According to a media report, these lands border a farm occupied by a well-known family who is not part of the Cabécar people of China Kichá. Allegedly, this family has persistently engaged in acts of violence against the Cabécar land reclaimers, including attempts on their lives, and openly supports the usurpation of Indigenous territories. On the same day, two additional fires were reported: one more in Kono Jú and another in the Nama Jú reclamation area.
The most recent incident was reported on 10th March, when Indigenous people identified a fire on the boundary between the reclamation led by Cabécar women, Duwé Senaglö, and Ka Kabiná, land reclaimed in 2022. As of March 2024, at least 800 hectares had been destroyed. The Cabécar community in China Kichá has denounced arson within its territory for four consecutive years, attributed to landowners opposing their territorial recoveries, as well as unauthorised logging and hunting activities.
On 18th March, the United Nations Office in Costa Rica called on the authorities to strengthen protection measures for the Cabécar Indigenous territory of China Kichá, in the face of the recent wave of arson attacks: “The United Nations calls on the authorities to take all possible measures to thoroughly investigate these incidents and ensure the safety of the community members and their ancestral heritage.”
Peaceful Assembly
Residents block roads to protest ongoing water cuts in Hatillo district, a southern neighbourhood of San José
In February and March 2024, residents of the Hatillo district in the capital city blocked the circumvallation route to demand that the Aqueducts and Sewers Institute (Instituto Costarricense de Acueductos y Alcantarillados, AyA) address ongoing water cuts affecting their community. The protesters underscored the urgent need for reliable water supply and infrastructure improvements as they faced prolonged and unannounced water cuts that severely impacted their daily lives.
Notably, on 18th March, the police arbitrarily detained at least nine people—three women and six men—who were protesting the lack of potable water supply alongside dozens of people. According to media reports, the Ministry of Public Security declared that the detentions were carried out under the instructions of the Flagrancy Prosecutor’s Office of the First Judicial Circuit in an attempt to disperse the protest, which was obstructing passage on National Route 39.
Civil society organisations condemned the detentions and called for the immediate release of those detained. They emphasised the legitimacy of the residents’ struggle and urged the authorities to prioritise resolving the water crisis in Hatillo and similar communities.
Health workers strike in Cartago
On 1st February, at least 70 workers staged a strike at the Hospital Maximiliano Peralta Jiménez to demand the construction of a new medical centre in Cartago, southeast of San Jose. The strike was organised by the National Union of Employees of the Social Security Fund (Unión Nacional de Empleados de la Caja y la Seguridad Social, UNDECA) and other unions.
UNDECA emphasised the urgent need for a modern healthcare facility that can meet the local population’s growing demands: “The waiting room, emergency areas, and consulting rooms are marred by excessive noise, inadequate ventilation, and general deterioration. The risk is escalating, and essential services such as nutrition, laundry, and maintenance are stretched to their limits. A new hospital for Cartago is indispensable.”
March in San Jose to mark International Women’s Day
On 8th March, thousands of women took to the streets to advocate for various pressing issues affecting women’s lives. The march highlighted the need for legal, safe and free abortion access, an end to violence against women, and equality in rural areas. Moreover, the protesters called for a ceasefire in Gaza and demanded the release of 17 activists, student leaders and feminists detained in Nicaragua for political reasons. The march began at Central Park and culminated at Democracy Square, in the capital city.
“Today, we are in a country where rights may be written on paper, but they are not guaranteed equally to all of us. There are women in rural areas who do not have access to free and quality education like women in the cities,” said Valentina Palacio, President of the University of Costa Rica’s Student Federation.