COSTA RICA · POLITICS
Costa Rica’s President Laura Fernández said on Wednesday 11 November that she is weighing a national referendum on her government’s plan for the Crucitas gold-mining zone, but has not said whether she will call one. The zone lies in the north, on the Nicaraguan border, and she says illegal mining there is a problem her government wants to solve.
Key Facts
- Decision Fernández has not said whether she will call a referendum; she will tell Costa Ricans “in due course”.
- Trigger Rodrigo Chaves, Minister of the Presidency and former president, said on 4 November he would recommend a vote.
- Bill Government bill 24.717 in the Legislative Assembly (Costa Rica’s 57-seat parliament) would allow open-pit gold mining at Crucitas.
- Not known Whether she will call a vote, what question it would ask, and when.
- Power Index Costa Rica ranks 9th of 14 in The Rio Times Latin America Power Index, with 35.5 points (November 2026 edition).
What Happened
Fernández spoke to reporters on Wednesday 11 November 2026. She was asked about a proposal from Rodrigo Chaves, the Minister of the Presidency and of Finance.
In words we have translated from Spanish, she said she will announce “in due course” whether the government will call a national referendum on Crucitas. She said she has discussed the issue with Chaves and the government team for months.
Chaves is also Costa Rica’s former president. On Wednesday 4 November 2026 he said he would suggest to her that she take the issue to a referendum, adding that he did not know whether she would.
Why It Matters
Crucitas is a zone in Cutris, a district of San Carlos in northern Costa Rica, on the border with Nicaragua. Our earlier report on a US embassy claim about gold mining gives more background on the sector.
The mechanism is the 57-seat Legislative Assembly, which must pass the government’s bill, and a referendum would let voters decide the question instead of deputies. We found no official figure for what the mine would earn or what a cleanup would cost.
Under Costa Rica’s referendum rules, a national vote can be requested by 5% of registered voters, by two-thirds of the Assembly (38 of 57 deputies), or by the Executive branch with the backing of a majority of deputies (29 of 57). The governing party, Pueblo Soberano (Sovereign People), has 31 deputies, and our guide to who holds power in Costa Rica shows how the seats are split.
Her Case Against the Opposition
Fernández criticised the alternative plans from the National Liberation Party (PLN, the largest opposition party) and the Broad Front (Frente Amplio, a smaller opposition party). She said the government’s project is advancing too slowly.
She also criticised the alternatives from those parties. She mocked a Frente Amplio plan to clean and reforest the damaged area, which she said would need “at least US$25 million”, adding that nobody gives a figure.
Another proposal, she said, would put the zone’s gold on digital tokens. In her view none of these ideas would stop illegal migration into the area, or the illegal miners, called “coligalleros” (informal gold miners), who try to extract the gold.
What Happens Next
Fernández gave no date for a decision, so there is no confirmed checkpoint on the referendum. On 21 October she said the government was preparing a new bill to reform the electricity market.
The earlier electricity bill failed in its final vote on Monday 19 October, with 31 votes for and 23 against, short of the 38 it needed. Our report on the bills before the Assembly shows how crowded its agenda is.
What It Means for You
The people most affected are the communities near Crucitas and Costa Rica’s environment, since the dispute is about whether the zone is mined, policed or protected. The damage described by the president is environmental, so any decision would shape how the zone is protected.
Readers who follow the country can find more on our Costa Rica news page. The referendum rules described above are the main legal route for any such vote.
What Is Not Known
We do not know whether Fernández will call a referendum, what question voters would be asked, or when it would take place. We also do not know whether any legal limits would apply to a vote on this subject.
The US$25 million cleanup figure is her description of an opposition proposal, not an official cost estimate. The real cost of cleaning and restoring Crucitas is not known.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Crucitas?
It is a zone in Cutris, a district of San Carlos in northern Costa Rica, on the Nicaraguan border. President Fernández says illegal gold mining there is a problem her government wants to solve.
Has Fernández called a referendum?
Not yet. She said on Wednesday 11 November that she will tell the country “in due course” whether she will.
Who can request a national referendum in Costa Rica?
Under Costa Rica’s referendum rules, 5% of registered voters, two-thirds of the Assembly (38 of 57 deputies), or the Executive branch with a majority of deputies (29 of 57) can request one. The governing party, Pueblo Soberano, has 31 deputies.
What does the government’s bill propose?
Bill file 24.717 would allow open-pit gold mining at Crucitas. Fernández says opposition parties are slowing it, and that her project is advancing too slowly.
Sources: Statements by President Laura Fernández to reporters, 11 November 2026; statement by Minister of the Presidency Rodrigo Chaves, 4 November 2026; Legislative Assembly of Costa Rica, bill file 24.717.
This article was produced by The Rio Times’ automated AI newsroom. Editorial responsibility: Matthias Camenzind, Publisher and Editor-in-Chief. The Rio Times also runs Ask Rio Times, which answers from 100,000+ of our own articles, the daily Latin America Power Map, and prediction-market odds on elections and markets.. How we use AI · Report an error