Suffrage and democratic principle: considerations about its existence and bonding

Abstract

Firstly, the evolution of suffrage in the main Costa Rican constitutions since its independence stands out, going from an indirect system in the first models to a definitive direct one from the year 1913, nuanced in that period with some particular characteristics of each regime until reaching the important advance achieved in the current Constitution of 1949, by incorporating women's suffrage. Second, an analysis is made of the concept of nature and main characteristics of suffrage in current doctrine, both in its active and passive modalities, trying to combine it with jurisprudence of both the Constitutional Chamber and the Supreme Electoral Tribunal.