Thousands of people took to the streets Thursday in several parts of Costa Rica to protest what organizers described as an alleged threat by President Laura Fernández against the country’s judiciary, amid an escalating dispute between her government and the Constitutional Chamber of the Supreme Court.

The main demonstration, called “Planton a Favor de la Democracia” (“Sit-In for Democracy”), was held at Plaza de la Democracia located next to the Congress headquarters in San José. Many protesters carried Costa Rican flags and signs criticizing the Fernández government. Simultaneous demonstrations were held in the country’s other six provinces.

The protest was organized by labor unions, pro-democracy groups, public universities, political parties opposed to the Fernández government and other social organizations.

The action was also joined by high-ranking government officials, including Attorney General Carlo Díaz and Judicial Investigation Organization (OIJ) Director Michael Soto, as well as former President Luis Guillermo Solís (2014–2018) and the presidents of several political parties.

The Judiciary is an independent branch of government consisting of the Supreme Court of Justice and other lower courts. It is responsible for administering justice and upholding the Constitution.

The Supreme Court is divided into four specialized chambers:

The citizen protest emerged in response to recent conflicts between the Fernández government and the Constitutional Chamber (Chamber IV), which safeguards fundamental citizen rights and maintains constitutional supremacy.

The conflict intensified last week after the Constitutional Chamber decided to extend the terms of its substitute magistrates. The decision came after the government’s bloc of lawmakers in Congress twice rejected the list of candidates for substitute magistrates proposed by the chamber.

In response to the Constitutional Chamber’s actions, Fernández called four magistrates “coup plotters” in statements she made at the Presidential House last week.

“The coup-plotting magistrates have established a system in which powers are being granted that neither the Political Constitution nor international instruments have given to the Constitutional Chamber,” Fernández said.

The president added that the Constitutional Chamber’s actions amounted to “nothing less than a coup d’état by a sector of the Judiciary against the Congress, the only body authorized to appoint and remove magistrates.”

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