Laura Fernandez Wins Costa Rica Presidency in Landslide Vote

AFP

Costa Rica's President-Elect Laura Fernandez.

Right-wing political scientist Laura Fernandez won Costa Rica’s presidential election on Sunday by a decisive margin, pledging to confront rising violence linked to drug trafficking that has shaken the Central American nation in recent years.

With 94 percent of polling stations counted, Fernandez secured 48.3 percent of the vote, comfortably ahead of her closest rival, centre-right economist Alvaro Ramos, who garnered 33.4 percent, according to the Supreme Electoral Tribunal (TSE).

Speaking via video link to supporters at her party’s election-night gathering in the capital, San José, the 39-year-old president-elect thanked outgoing President Rodrigo Chaves for entrusting her with the country’s leadership, saying his legacy was “in safe hands”.

Fernandez vowed to “fight tirelessly” to ensure Costa Rica continues on a path of economic growth, freedom and social progress, while restoring public security amid a sharp rise in violent crime.

Long regarded as one of Central America’s most stable democracies, Costa Rica has in recent years become a key logistics hub in the international cocaine trade. Drug trafficking by Mexican and Colombian cartels has fuelled turf wars, pushing the murder rate up by 50 per cent over the past six years to 17 per 100,000 inhabitants.

Fernandez has cited El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele as an inspiration for her security strategy, praising his hardline approach to organised crime. Bukele was the first foreign leader to congratulate her on her victory.

Her election underscores a broader shift to the right across Latin America, where conservative leaders have capitalised on public frustration over corruption and insecurity to win power in several countries.

Fernandez was brought into national politics by President Chaves, serving as planning minister and later chief of staff. Chaves, who is constitutionally barred from immediate re-election, said he was confident that under her leadership Costa Rica would avoid “dictatorship and communism”.

Critics, however, have raised concerns that Fernandez may seek constitutional changes to allow Chaves to return to office in the future. Former president and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Óscar Arias warned that democratic institutions must be protected, cautioning against attempts to amend the constitution for political gain.

Fernandez has dismissed such concerns, insisting she remains committed to Costa Rica’s democratic traditions. Her security platform includes plans to build a maximum-security prison modelled on El Salvador’s Terrorism Confinement Center, stiffen prison sentences and impose states of emergency in areas hardest hit by crime.

Costa Ricans also voted on Sunday to elect members of the country’s 57-seat Legislative Assembly.

Source: AFP



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