Resumen

MARTINEZ-BARAHONA, ELENA. Supreme Courts as a Mechanism of 'Allocation of Power': The Case of Presidential Reelection in Costa Rica and Nicaragua. Rev. cienc. polít. (Santiago) [online]. 2010, vol.30, n.3, pp. 723-750. ISSN 0718-090X.  doi: 10.4067/S0718-090X2010000300007.

Two Central American countries have recently approved the presidential reelection by a Supreme Court decision. This article proposes a model to explain why this decision has been taken in a judicial institution instead of the correct legislative arena. The model shows that the decision about this question will be transferred to the judicial forum when the National Assembly is fragmented, the promoter is a "growing coalition" and the Supreme Court is "goal-oriented" This model is supported by an empirical analysis of the Supreme Court decision affecting presidential electoral rules that took place in Costa Rica and Nicaragua.

Palabras clave : Supreme Courts; presidential reelection; judicial politics; Costa Rica; Nicaragua.