be
held 3 February 2006) election results: percent of vote by party - NA;
seats by party - PUSC 19, PLN 17, PAC 14, PML 6, PRC 1

Judicial branch: Supreme Court or Corte Suprema (22 justices are elected
for eight-year terms by the Legislative Assembly)

Political parties and leaders: Agricultural Labor Action or PALA [Carlos
Alberto SOLIS Blanco]; Citizen Action Party or PAC [Otton SOLIS]; Costa
Rican Renovation Party or PRC [Justo OROZCO]; Democratic Force Party or
PFD [Jose M. NUNEZ]; Libertarian Movement Party or PML [Otto GUEVARA
Guth]; National Christian Alliance Party or ANC [Alejandro MADRIGAL];
National Independent Party or PNI [Jorge GONZALEZ Marten]; National
Integration Party or PIN [Walter MUNOZ Cespedes]; National Liberation
Party or PLN [Sonia PICADO]; Social Christian Unity Party or PUSC [Luis
Manuel CHACON] note: mainly a two-party system - PUSC and PLN - until
the 3 February 2002 election in which the PAC captured a significant
percentage, forcing a run-off in April 2002

Political pressure groups and leaders: Authentic Confederation of
Democratic Workers or CATD (Communist Party affiliate); Chamber of
Coffee Growers; Confederated Union of Workers or CUT (Communist Party
affiliate); Costa Rican Confederation of Democratic Workers or CCTD
(Liberation Party affiliate); Federation of Public Service Workers or
FTSP; National Association for Economic Development or ANFE; National
Association of Educators or ANDE; Rerum Novarum or CTRN (PLN affiliate)
[Gilbert Brown]

International organization participation: BCIE, CACM, ECLAC, FAO, G-77,
IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF,
IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, LAES, LAIA (observer), NAM (observer),
OAS, OPANAL, OPCW, PCA, RG, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNU, UPU, WCL,
WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO

Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador
Jaime DAREMBLUM Rosenstein chancery: 2114 S Street NW, Washington, DC
20008 consulate(s) general: Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Denver, Houston,
Los Angeles, Miami, New Orleans, New York, Phoenix, San Antonio, San
Francisco, St. Paul, and Tampa consulate(s): Diplomatic representation
from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador John J. DANILOVICH embassy:
Calle 120
APO AA 34020 telephone:
Flag description: five horizontal bands of blue (top), white, red
(double width), white, and blue, with the coat of arms in a white disk
on the hoist side of the red band