Published on Thursday, August 13, 2026
By the A.M. Costa Rica staff

President Laura Fernández-Delgado announced Wednesday a bill that would repeal Law No. 313, known as the “Former Presidents’ Pension Law,” and eliminate lifetime pensions for former presidents.

The law provides a lifetime pension paid by the state to former presidents of Costa Rica. It also allows the pension to be transferred to certain beneficiaries, including a spouse or children, as a survivor’s or inheritance pension after the former president’s death.

It grants the same pension right to a former vice president if he or she has fully replaced the president or served as president for more than half of the presidential term.

Fernández announced the bill during a news conference following the weekly Cabinet meeting at the Presidential House in San José.


According to Fernández, the bill will soon be submitted to Congress for consideration. It seeks to eliminate lifetime pension payments for all former presidents, including those who have already left office, as well as Fernández herself as the current president and future presidents of the country.


Under the current law, former presidents receive a lifetime pension of approximately $100,000 a year. That amount is lower than the president’s annual salary, which is currently about $133,000.

The president said she supports eliminating the pensions because, during the administration of former President Rodrigo Chaves-Robles (Costa Rica’s 49th president, who served from 2022 to 2026), she advocated eliminating what she called “luxury pensions” while serving first as minister of National Planning and later as minister of the Presidency.

“During the government of Rodrigo Chaves, as minister of the Presidency and minister of National Planning, I worked tirelessly on a bill to eliminate luxury pensions,” Fernández said. “That is why I believe former presidents’ pensions should no longer exist in Costa Rica.”

Fernández added that she is fully committed to eliminating the pensions because everyone “should receive the pension for which they contributed,” referring to each worker’s pension plan.

The announcement sparked controversy among lawmakers because another political party, Frente Amplio, recently introduced a similar bill to eliminate lifetime pensions for former presidents.

However, lawmakers from the governing Pueblo Soberano party recently rejected the Frente Amplio bill in committee.

------------
What have you heard about initiatives to eliminate lifetime pensions for former presidents in your country? We would like to know your thoughts on this story. Send your comments to news@amcostarica.com