Due to the historical context in which the 1949 Political Constitution was created, a series of checks and balances were established to protect the electoral process. As Bou (2010) notes, since its promulgation, the Constitution has included norms and principles that guarantee the exercise of suffrage and respect for the popular decision expressed at the polls. In addition, as a democratic guarantee, the electoral institution was given autonomy, granting it administrative, normative, budgetary, and political independence. This is how, in the Costa Rican Political Constitution, political authorities such as the president, vice president, deputies, and municipal authorities are selected by Costa Rican citizens through free, secret, universal, and direct suffrage in elections called and monitored by the TSE.