SAN JOSE, July 9 (Reuters) - A fierce standoff between Costa Rica's recently elected President Laura Fernandez and the country's judiciary is stalling a coordinated state response to violent drug-related crime in the once-peaceful Central American nation.
The turmoil reflects a broader crisis across Central America, a major cocaine transit corridor to the United States, where violence and corruption have destabilized governments as criminal groups exploit institutional weaknesses, experts say.
Costa Rica's institutional clash, coming just two months into Fernandez's term, has centered around significant budget cuts imposed on the judiciary and a legislative proposal to have Congress, rather than the Supreme Court, appoint the attorney general.
Tensions peaked last week when Fernandez accused the judiciary of being infiltrated by organized crime "to the core" and criticized courts for blocking the "iron fist" security policies her administration champions, inspired by Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele, who has radically brought down crime in El Salvador by incarcerating some 90,000 people.
Judicial officials have denied corruption allegations, challenging Fernandez to provide evidence. They argue that budget cuts planned for 2026 and 2027 threaten democratic checks and balances and hinder the fight against crime.
Fernandez campaigned on a hardline anti-crime platform, vowing to restore order in Costa Rica, a country of 5.2 million people, where an average of two people are murdered every day. The homicide rate has largely remained steady since hitting a record 17.2 per 100,000 inhabitants in 2023, double the rate of a decade ago.
Security Minister Gerald Campos told Reuters that only 38% of homicides result in a conviction. "The problem here is not a lack of an army... the problem is a lack of convictions in the courts," he said.
Experts, judicial authorities and the government attribute the crisis in Costa Rica to drug trafficking groups using the country's strategic location to ship narcotics to northern markets.
OBSTACLES, DISCORD
"Facing an enemy with infinite resources... fighting among ourselves makes it very difficult to be prepared," said Evelyn Villarreal, coordinator of the State of Justice report, a research program that evaluates the country's judicial system.
Weeks after taking office, Fernandez called for the resignation of Attorney General Carlo Diaz and top Supreme Court magistrates, citing a lack of action on the security crisis. None have stepped down.
Patricia Solano, president of the country's top criminal court, rejected claims that the judiciary is responsible for the crime surge. She argued the government aims to weaken a vital democratic institution.
"Since 2022, we have seen a systematic attack against the judiciary," Solano said, referring to the period under former President Rodrigo Chaves, who is from the same party as Fernandez.
Solano said the prison population has increased 36% since 2020. Costa Rica's incarceration rate stands at 366 per 100,000 inhabitants, ranking 22nd globally in 2024, according to the World Prison Brief.
On the streets, citizens expressed frustration that political infighting is overshadowing efforts to curb violence.
"We are still in bad shape, even if they say they are doing things and fighting each other," said Karina Bolaños, a 39-year-old shopkeeper in Goicoechea, north of the capital."The country has changed for the worse."
(Reporting by Alvaro Murillo; editing by Ana Isabel Martinez and Nia Williams)
