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List of heads of state of Costa Rica

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The following is the list of all the heads of state of Costa Rica. The current Constitution establishes that the President of Costa Rica is both head of state and head of government, and the current officeholder is Rodrigo Chaves Robles of the Social Democratic Progress Party.

First independent governments (1821–1824)

See also: Ochomogo War

On October 11, 1821, the province of Costa Rica proclaimed its absolute independence from Spain. On the 29th of that month, the city of Cartago, head of the Partido de Costa Rican, also signed an act declaring the absolute independence of the Spanish Government.

During this period the main divisions occurred between two sides; the imperialist who sought to annex Costa Rica to the First Mexican Empire and the Republican who sought full independence from Costa Rica. The monarchicals or monarchists also advocated the recognition of Agustín de Iturbide as emperor.


Political chief of the Province of Costa Rica		 Office Term Faction

  Republicans   Imperialists

Juan Manuel de Cañas Political chief October 11, 1821 – November 12, 1821 Españolista
Nicolás Carrillo y Aguirre President of the Town's Legates Junta November 12, 1821 – December 1, 1821 Imperialist
Pedro José de Alvarado y Baeza President of the Provisional Government Junta December 1821– January 1822 Imperialist
Rafael Barroeta y Castilla President of the Electors Board January 6–13, 1822; president of the Superior Government Junta, January 6 – April 13, 1822 Imperialist
Santiago de Bonilla y Laya-Bolívar President of the Superior Government Junta 13 Aprial – June 15, 1822 Liberal
José María de Peralta President of the Superior Government Junta June 15 – October 17, 1822 Republican
José Rafael Gallegos President of the Superior Government Junta 17 octubre de 1822– January 1, 1823 Imperialist
José Santos Lombardo President of the Superior Government Junta January 1 – March 20, 1823 Imperialist
Rafael Francisco Osejo President of the Diputación of Costa Rica March 20–29, 1823 Republican
Joaquín de Oreamuno General Commander of Arms, de facto March 29 – April 5, 1823 Imperialist
Gregorio José Ramírez General Commander of Arms, de facto April 5 – 16, 1823 Republican
José María de Peralta President of the Constituent Provincial Congress April 16 – May 10, 1823 Republican
Manuel Alvarado e Hidalgo President of the Superior Government Junta 1823–1824 Republican
Eusebio Rodríguez y Castro President of the Superior Government Junta January 8 – February 12, 1824 Republican
Manuel Alvarado e Hidalgo President of the Superior Government Junta February 12 – September 8, 1824 Republican

Emperor (1822–1823)

See also: First Mexican Empire

Emperor 		Term Notes
Agustín de Iturbide May 19, 1822–
March 19, 1823 		During the period of permanence of Costa Rica in the First Mexican Empire, Emperor Agustín de Iturbide was the monarch of the country as of the rest of the Empire. However, imperial sovereignty was not universally recognized. The disputes between imperialists loyal to Iturbide and Republicans seeking full independence led to the first Costa Rican civil war.

President of the Federal Republic of Central America (1823–1839)

See also: List of heads of state of Federal Republic of Central America and State of Costa Rica

Between 1824 and 1838 Costa Rica was a member of the Federal Republic of Central America, and the president was the federal president of the country, although the political influence of the federal government was minimal.


President		 Term
(Election)		 Profession Party
  Liberal Party   Conservative Party
José Matías Delgado 1823
(interim)		 Catholic Priest Liberal Party
First Triumvirate: (1823) Liberal Party
Second Triumvirate: 1823–1825 Liberal Party
Manuel José Arce 29 April 1825-13 April 1829
(Appointed by Congress)		 Military Liberal Party
Mariano Beltranena y Llano 13 April 1829-14 June 1829
(Deposed)		 Aristocrat Conservative Party
José Francisco Barrundia 26 June 1829-16 June 1830
(interim)		 Journalist Liberal Party
José Francisco Morazán Quezada 16 September 1830-16 September 1834
(1830)		 Military Liberal Party
José Cecilio del Valle† (1834. Died before assuming office) Military Conservative Party
José Gregorio Salazar 16 September 1834-14 February 1835
(interim)		 Politician Liberal Party
José Francisco Morazán Quezada February 14, 1835 – February 1, 1839
(1835, Costa Rica splits from the Federation).		 Military Liberal Party

Heads of State of Costa Rica (1824–1847)

Between 1824 and 1847 and according to the Constitutions of the United Provinces of Central America (1824), of Costa Rica from 1825 and 1844, the chief of the executive branch bore the title of supreme chief or first chief.

Liberals almost completely dominated Costa Rican politics during this period, to the point that many historians call this the "Liberal State". In Costa Rica there was no war between liberals and conservatives as was common in the rest of Latin America and even coup d'etats and de facto governments were mostly between liberal factions. The only conservative president of this period was José Rafael de Gallegos y Alvarado who did not end his term. Another conservative, Nicolás Ulloa Soto, never took office.


Heads of the Free State of Costa Rica		 Province Term
(Election)		 Profession Faction Vice Head

  Liberal   Conservative   Military

Juan Mora Fernández
1825 and 1829		 San José 1824–1833 Teacher and trader Liberal Mariano Montealegre Bustamante (1824–1825)
José Rafael de Gallegos y Alvarado (1825–1829)
José Rafael de Gallegos y Alvarado Cartago 1833–1835
(1833, resigned)		 Businessman Conservative Manuel Fernández Chacón
Manuel Fernández Chacón San José interim Landowner Liberal Vacant
Nicolás Ulloa Soto Heredia Appointed in 1835 by Congress, never took office. Businessman Conservative Manuel Fernández Chacón
Braulio Carrillo Colina Cartago 1835–1837
(1835)		 Lawyer Liberal
Joaquín Mora Fernández San José March–April 1837
interim		 Lawyer Liberal
Manuel Aguilar Chacón San José 1837–1838
(1837, deposed by coup led by Carrillo)		 Lawyer Liberal Juan Mora Fernández
Braulio Carrillo Colina Cartago November 14, 1838 – April 8, 1842
(de facto rule, deposed by Morazan)		 Lawyer Liberal Miguel Carranza Fernández (1838–1841)
Manuel Antonio Bonilla Nava (1841–182)
Francisco Morazán Quesada Born in Honduras April 8 – September 11, 1842
(de facto, deposed)		 Military Liberal Juan Mora Fernández
Antonio Pinto Soares Born in Portugal September 11–27, 1842
(interim)		 Military Liberal Vacant
José María Alfaro Zamora Alajuela 27 September 1842-29 November 1844
(interim)		 Trader Liberal Francisco María Oreamuno Bonilla (1843–1844)
Francisco María Oreamuno Bonilla Cartago November 29, 1844 – June 7, 1846
(1844, deposed by Congress after neglecting the office)		 Lawyer Liberal José María Castro Madriz (1845–1847)
José María Alfaro Zamora Alajuela June 7, 1846 – May 1, 1847
(interim)		 Trader Liberal

President of the State of Costa Rica (1847–1848)

See also: Free State of Costa Rica, Costa Rican Constitution of 1847, and List of presidents of Costa Rica

President of the State of Costa Rica		 Province Term
(Election)		 Profession Faction Vice President

  Liberal

1 José María Alfaro Zamora Alajuela May 1, 1847 – May 6, 1847
(interim)		 Trader Liberal José María Castro Madriz
2 José María Castro Madriz San José May 8, 1847 – August 31, 1848
(1847)		 Lawyer Liberal José María Alfaro Zamora (1847)
Juan Rafael Mora Porras (1847–1848)

President of the Republic of Costa Rica (1848–1948)

See also: First Costa Rican Republic, Costa Rican Constitution of 1871, and Costa Rican Constitution of 1917

Current title of the head of state and government since the Constitution of 1847. The historiography tends to divide this historical period in two, the previous one to the civil war of 1948 and the subsequent one to it. During the first period from 1847 to 1948, the liberals almost completely dominated Costa Rican politics. The liberal hegemony only broke briefly with the government of Vicente Herrera Zeledón (who however had been elected by the liberals) who ruled de facto for just over a year between 1876 and 1877. Even the dictator Federico Tinoco whose dictatorship lasted two years was also liberal. In addition, Costa Rican politics was then (and continues to be to some extent) eminently personalist, so political parties such as Civil, National, Peliquista and Republican revolved mostly around leaders and political figures and not ideologies although, in general terms, they usually be diffusely associated with liberalism.

Costa Rican liberalism was also closely linked to the coffee-growing oligarchy and an important sector of the aristocracy. Attempts to create party alternatives not only formally ideological but more to the left were the Reform Party of Father Jorge Volio Jiménez, strongly influenced by the Catholic social teaching and Christian socialism and Manuel Mora Valverde's Workers and Peasants Block (which precisely it would break with the Reform Party after Volio's alliance with the liberal Ricardo Jiménez Oreamuno of the Republican Party) that would lead to the Costa Rican Communist Party. However, even after the war, an important influence of liberal thinking could be seen in the presidents emanated from opposition coalitions as well as within the Social Christian Unity Party.

The National Republican Party led several liberals to the presidency, however, it would be under the government of perhaps its most famous president Rafael Ángel Calderón Guardia that the reforms known as the Social Guarantees would be given for the benefit of the poorest classes and would be one of the triggers of the war of 48.


Presidents of the Republic of Costa Rica		 Province Term
(Election)		 Profession Faction/Party Vice President

  Liberal   Olympus   Military   Constitutional Party   Civil Party   Republican Party   National Union Party   National   National Republican Party

1 José María Castro Madriz San José August 31, 1848 – November 15, 1849
(1847, deposed)		 Lawyer Liberal Manuel José Carazo Bonilla (1848–1849)
Juan Rafael Mora Porras (1849)
1.a Miguel Mora Porras San José November 16–26, 1849
(interim)		 Trader Liberal Vacant
2 Juan Rafael Mora Porras San José November 26 – December 30, 1849 – August 14, 1859
(1849, 1853 and 1859. Deposed by Montealegre.)		 Empresario Liberal Francisco María Oreamuno Bonilla† (1853–1856)
Vicente Aguilar Cubero (1856–1857)
Rafael García-Escalante Nava (1857–1859)
3 José María Montealegre Fernández San José 14 August 1859 – 8 May 1863
(de facto after a coup, later elected in 1860)		 Medic Liberal Abolished
Alternates appointed by Congress.
4 Jesús Jiménez Zamora Cartago 8 May 1863 – 8 May 1866
(1863)		 Medic Liberal
5 José María Castro Madriz San José May 8, 1866 – November 1, 1868
(1866, deposed by Jiménez.)		 Lawyer Liberal
6 Jesús Jiménez Zamora Cartago November 1, 1868 – April 27, 1870
(de facto after a coup, elected as single candidate in 1869, deposed by coup led by Guardia.)		 Medic Liberal
7 Bruno Carranza Ramírez San José April 27 – August 8, 1870
(interim, appointed by Guardia.)		 Medic Liberal
8 Tomás Guardia Gutiérrez Guanacaste August 8, 1870 – May 8, 1876
(de facto after coup, elected in 1872).)		 Military Liberal
9 Aniceto Esquivel Sáenz Cartago May 8, 1876 – July 30, 1876
(1876 as Guardia's puppet, deposed by Guardia).		 Lawyer Liberal
10 Vicente Herrera Zeledón San José 30 July 1876 – 23 September 1877
(Appointed by Guardia, resigns due to health issues.)		 Lawyer Conservative
11 Tomás Guardia Gutiérrez† Guanacaste September 23, 1877 – July 6, 1882
(ruled as a dictator, died in office.)		 Military Liberal
12 Saturnino Lizano Gutiérrez Puntarenas July 6 – August 10, 1882
(interim)		 Trader Liberal
13 Próspero Fernández Oreamuno† San José August 10, 1882 – March 12, 1885
(1882. Died in office)		 Philosopher Olympus
14 Bernardo Soto Alfaro Alajuela March 12, 1885 – November 7, 1889
(interim later elected in 1886, resigns.)		 Military and lawyer Olympus
14.a Carlos Durán Cartín San José November 7, 1889 – May 8, 1890
(interim)		 Medic Liberal
15 José Rodríguez Zeledón San José 8 May 1890 – 8 May 1894
(1889)		 Lawyer Constitutional Party
16 Rafael Yglesias Castro San José 8 May 1894 – 8 May 1902
(1894 and 1897–1898)		 Businessman Civil Party
17 Ascensión Esquivel Ibarra Guanacaste 8 May 1902 – 8 May 1906
(1901–1902)		 Lawyer National Union Party
18 Cleto González Víquez Heredia 8 May 1906 – 8 May 1910
(1905–1906)		 Lawyer National Party
19 Ricardo Jiménez Oreamuno Cartago 8 May 1910 – 8 May 1914
(1909–1910)		 Lawyer Republican Party
20 Alfredo González Flores Heredia May 8, 1914 – January 27, 1917
(Appointed by Congress, deposed in the 1917 Costa Rican coup d'état led by Tinoco).		 Lawyer Republican Party
21 Federico Alberto Tinoco Granados San José January 27, 1917 – August 20, 1919
(ruled after coup, elected as single candidate in 1917, deposed by popular uprising).		 Businessman Peliquista Party
22 Juan Bautista Quirós Segura San José August 20, 1919 – September 2, 1919
(interim, forced to resign).		 Empresario Peliquista Party
23 Francisco Aguilar Barquero Cartago 2 September 1919-8 May 1920
(interim).		 Teacher Republican Party
24 Julio Acosta García Alajuela 8 May 1920-8 May 1924
(1919)		 Diplomatic Constitutional Party
25 Ricardo Jiménez Oreamuno Cartago May 8, 1924 – May 8, 1928
(1923)		 Lawyer Republican Party
26 Cleto González Víquez Heredia 8 May 1928-8 May 1932
(1928)		 Lawyer National Union Party
27 Ricardo Jiménez Oreamuno Cartago May 8, 1932 – May 8, 1936
(1932)		 Lawyer National Republican Party
28 León Cortés Castro Alajuela 8 May 1936-8 May 1940
(1936)		 Teacher and lawyer National Republican Party
29 Rafael Ángel Calderón Guardia San José 8 May 1940-8 May 1944
(1940)		 Medic National Republican Party
30 Teodoro Picado Michalski San José May 8, 1944 – April 19, 1948
(1944, deposed by civil war).		 Teacher National Republican Party
30.a Santos León Herrera San José April 19 – May 8, 1948
(interim).		 Engineer National Republican Party

Founding Junta of the Second Republic (1948–1949)

See also: Founding Junta of the Second Republic and Costa Rica Civil War

After the rupture of the constitutional order in 1948 when the third and last Costa Rican civil war broke out, the victorious side formed by the National Liberation Movement exercised de facto power for 18 months under the self-appointed Founding Junta of the Second Republic chaired by José Figueres Ferrer who proclaimed the beginning of the Second Costa Rican Republic.

Junta Fundadora de la Segunda República Term Party
José Figueres Ferrer, Benjamín Odio Odio, Gonzalo Facio Segreda, Alberto Martén Chavarría, Uladislao Gámez Solano, Francisco José Orlich Bolmarcich, Bruce Masís Dibiasi, Raúl Blanco Cervantes, Benjamín Núñez Vargas, Edgar Cardona Quirós, Daniel Oduber Quirós May 8, 1948 – November 8, 1949 National Liberation Movement

President of the Republic of Costa Rica (1949-today)

José Figueres would hand over the Executive Power to Otilio Ulate Blanco on November 8, 1949, as the alleged winner of the 1948 elections whose annulment by the government of Teodoro Picado and Rafael Ángel Calderón Guardia caused the civil war of the same year. A National Constituent Assembly was also convened that drafted the 1949 Constitution, still in force, and also created the official positions of First and Second Vice presidents of the Republic.

The National Liberation Party, of social democratic ideology and led by the war-winning leader José Figueres Ferrer would become the main political force after 48, but both Calderonistas and liberals would remain active allying with each other, which would allow the governments of Mario Echandi Jiménez and José Joaquín Trejos Fernández. Following the merger of almost all the antiliberacionista opposition grouped in the Unity Coalition in the Social Christian Unity Party in 1983, this party and the National Liberation would form a solid bipartisanism so that all presidents between 1982 and 2014 belonged to one of these two parties. It is in 2014 that bipartisanship is broken with the coming to power of Luis Guillermo Solís Rivera, first president of the post-bipartisan stage and belonging to a party that was not linked to the two major traditional political tendencies (liberationism and calderonism) the Citizens' Action Party that had already been the main opposition force for two previous periods.


Presidents of the Republic of de Costa Rica		 Province Term
(Election)		 Profession Party Vice presidents

  National Union Party   National Liberation Party   Unity Coalition   Social Christian Unity Party   Citizens' Action Party   Social Democratic Progress Party

31 Otilio Ulate Blanco Alajuela 8 November 1949 – 8 May 1953
(1948)		 Journalist National Union Party Alberto Oreamuno Flores and Alfredo Volio Mata
32 José Figueres Ferrer Alajuela 8 May 1953 – 8 May 1958
(1953)		 Self-taught National Liberation Party Raúl Blanco Cervantes and Fernando Esquivel Bonilla
33 Mario Echandi Jiménez San José 8 May 1958 – 8 May 1962
(1958)		 Businessman National Union Party Abelardo Bonilla Baldares and José Joaquín Peralta Esquivel
34 Francisco José Orlich Bolmarcich Alajuela 8 May 1962 – 8 May 1966
(1962)		 Accountant National Liberation Party Raúl Blanco Cervantes and Carlos Sáenz Herrera
35 José Joaquín Trejos Fernández San José 8 May 1966 – 8 May 1970
(1966)		 College professor, chemist and mathematician National Unification Coalition Jorge Vega Rodríguez and Virgilio Calvo Sánchez
36 José Figueres Ferrer Alajuela 8 May 1970 – 8 May 1974
(1970)		 Self-taught National Liberation Party Manuel Aguilar Bonilla and Jorge Rossi Chavarría
37 Daniel Oduber Quirós San José 8 May 1974 – 8 May 1978
(1974)		 Philosopher, lawyer and poet National Liberation Party Carlos Manuel Castillo Morales and Fernando Guzmán Mata
38
Rodrigo Carazo Odio		 Cartago 8 May 1978 – 8 May 1982
(1978)		 Economist Unity Coalition Rodrigo Altmann Ortiz and José Miguel Alfaro Rodríguez
39 Luis Alberto Monge Álvarez Alajuela 8 May 1982 – 8 May 1986
(1982)		 Farmer and trade union leader National Liberation Party Alberto Fait Lizano and Armando Aráuz Aguilar
40 Óscar Arias Sánchez Heredia 8 May 1986 – 8 May 1990
(1986)		 Businessman and lawyer National Liberation Party Jorge Manuel Dengo Obregón and Victoria Garrón Orozco
41 Rafael Ángel Calderón Fournier Born in Nicaragua 8 May 1990 – 8 May 1994
(1990)		 Lawyer Social Christian Unity Party Germán Serrano Pinto and Arnoldo López Echandi
42 José María Figueres Olsen San José 8 May 1994 – 8 May 1998
(1994)		 Engineer National Liberation Party Rodrigo Oreamuno Blanco and Rebeca Grynspan Mayufis
43 Miguel Ángel Rodríguez Echeverría San José 8 May 1998 – 8 May 2002
(1998)		 Businessman and economist Social Christian Unity Party Astrid Fischel Volio and Elizabeth Odio Benito
44 Abel Pacheco de la Espriella San José 8 May 2002 – 8 May 2006
(2002)		 Psychiatrist Social Christian Unity Party Lineth Saborío Chaverri and Luis Fishman Zonzinski
45 Óscar Arias Sánchez Heredia 8 May 2006 – 8 May 2010
(2006)		 Businessman and lawyer National Liberation Party Laura Chinchilla Miranda and Kevin Casas Zamora
46 Laura Chinchilla Miranda San José 8 May 2010 – 8 May 2014
(2010)		 Political scientist National Liberation Party Alfio Piva Mesén and Luis Liberman Ginsburg
47 Luis Guillermo Solís Rivera San José 8 May 2014 – 8 May 2018
(2014)		 College professor, political scientist, sociologist, historian Citizens' Action Party Helio Fallas Venegas and Ana Helena Chacón Echeverría
48 Carlos Alvarado Quesada San José May 8, 2018 – May 8, 2022
(2018)		 Writer, journalist, political scientist Citizens' Action Party Epsy Campbell Barr and Marvin Rodríguez Cordero
49 Rodrigo Chaves Robles San José May 8, 2022-
(2022)		 Economist Social Democratic Progress Party Stephan Brunner Neibig and Mary Munive Angermüller

References

  1. ^ Obregón, Clotilde (2002). Nuestros gobernantes: verdades del pasado para comprender el futuro. Editorial Universidad de Costa Rica. ISBN 9789977677019. Retrieved May 9, 2017.
  2. Msc. Marvin Carvajal Barrantes. La independencia de Costa Rica (2011) extraído en 2013
  3. http://geografiahistoriasecundaria.blogspot.com/p/la-crisis-de-la-republica-liberal-1914.html
  4. ^ Jara Murillo, Carla Victoria (2007). "EL MENSAJE PRESIDENCIAL COSTARRICENSE DESDE LA ETNOGRAFÍA DE LA COMUNICACIÓN". Filología y Lingüística XXXIII (2): 141–178, 2007. Retrieved May 10, 2017.
  5. "Aberraciones históricas en política partidaria".
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