Laura Fernández Delgado, the candidate of the ruling Sovereign People's Party (PPSO), won the presidential election with 48.30% of the votes, defeating Álvaro Ramos Chaves of the National Liberation Party (PLN) and 18 other candidates in the first round. This exceeded the threshold of 40% required to win the election in a single round. She is the second woman to be elected president of Costa Rica.
The PPSO also won a majority of the seats in the Legislative Assembly: 31, against the PLN's 17. The Broad Front (FA) won seven, with the two remaining seats going to the Citizen Agenda Coalition (CAC) and the Social Christian Unity Party (PUSC).
The victory of businessman Rodrigo Chaves in the 2022 general election caused a major political shift, as he was a candidate outside the traditional parties and opposed to the classic institutional system.[1][2] Despite good macroeconomic indicators during his administration, especially due to economic growth and record exports, the reduction in unemployment and poverty, and the fall in inflation, Chaves maintained tensions with the other branches of the state, especially the Supreme Electoral Court (TSE).[3][4] On 7 September 2025, the TSE asked the Legislative Assembly to lift Chaves' immunity so that he could be prosecuted for fifteen complaints received for political belligerence, that is, for using his position to favour a party in the elections.[5] In December 2025 the Legislative Assembly rejected removing Chaves' immunity.[6] He also faced corruption accusations by the Supreme Court.[7]
At the same time, Costa Rica experienced an unprecedented increase in violence associated with drug trafficking and organised crime, which damaged the country's historical image as a peaceful democracy. This deterioration in security became the main concern for citizens and dominated public debate. In 2024, the Costa Rican Constitution was amended to allow for the extradition of drug traffickers and domestic terrorists wanted by foreign authorities.[4][8]
Chaves maintained a historic approval rating, although between October 2025 and January 2026 it fell from 63% to 58% and obtained a 28% disapproval rating, 8 points higher, according to the Centre for Political Research and Studies (CIEP) at the University of Costa Rica.[9][10] He was ineligible to run in 2026, as the constitution limits the consecutive re-election of presidents, who are eligible to run for office eight years after the end of their term.[11]
Electoral system
The president of Costa Rica is elected using a modified two-round system in which a candidate must receive at least 40% of the vote to win in the first round; if no candidate wins in the first round, a runoff is held between the two candidates with most votes.[12] Each presidential candidate shares the ballot with two vice-presidential candidates.[13]
The Supreme Electoral Court officially launched the election campaign on 1 October 2025.[18] Fernández's campaign was centered on crime, amid voters' concerns about a rise in drug violence.[19][20] Since 2023, Costa Rica's murder rate has climbed by over 50% compared to before Chaves took office in 2022.[20] She said she would follow a path similar to that of Salvadoran president Nayib Bukele, including plans to complete the construction of a mega-prison modeled after the Terrorism Confinement Center (CECOT) built by Bukele.[19][20][21] Fernández said she planned to declare a state of emergency in gang-controlled areas.[19] Chaves's government and his policy on crime were generally popular among the Costa Rican public, and Fernández capitalized on Chaves's popularity to win in the first round for the first time in over a decade. Fernández has said that she plans to expand the use of cargo scanners at the country's airports and seaports and strengthen partnerships with foreign and international law enforcement in order to cut down on drug trafficking.[20]
Despite a numerically positive economic situation, the growth in the Costa Rican economy has only shown results for a small minority of citizens. Much improvement has happened only in "free trade zones", which offer tax breaks and less customs regulation for investors. Despite growth in some sectors, Costa Rica's domestic market economy has shown negligible improvement.[21][22]
Fernández is opposed to abortion; she has promised to double the maximum prison sentence for women who have abortions to six years.[20] Fernández has signaled that she will appoint outgoing president Chaves to a position in her cabinet, likely chief of staff.[19][20][23] Voters also expressed concern at the degradation of Costa Rica's public services, such as education, healthcare, and transportation. Costa Rica is also in a dire situation demographically: a rapid increase in the average age in the country is expected in the coming decades, putting strain on the Costa Rican pension system. The environment is also a factor in the public's perception of the government, with lofty sustainability goals often left far from being met. Despite promises for a "green Costa Rica", the government plans to scale back a ban on fossil fuel exploration and to accelerate the exploitation of the country's natural resources.[21]
International human rights observers have warned that Fernández may erode the rule of law and undermine checks and balances in Costa Rica. Many internal political groups also expressed concern at the PPSO's centralization of power.[20] The election cycle showed a marked decrease in political participation, with barely 20% of citizens being a member of a political party.[21] Álvaro Ramos, the National Liberation Party candidate and runner-up in the election, presented himself as a centrist alternative to the PPSO.[22] Ramos said in a speech on 22 January that he supports the middle class. He also presents himself as opposing what he considers to be Costa Rica's growing authoritarianism, saying that he is "the strongest proposal in defense of our most important value as Costa Ricans, which is democracy".[24] Ramos opposes the opening of Chaves's mega-prison, saying "you don't have to lock people up for being tattooed".[25] He does still support taking a firm stance against crime, calling during the final debate for a larger police force and improved intelligence sharing with international partners. Ramos promised tax incentives for small businesses as well as infrastructure projects to reduce unemployment and create jobs.[26]
The former first lady Claudia Dobles of the Citizen Agenda Coalition ran on a progressive platform. Dobles supported social reform and environmental protections.[22] Regarding crime, Dobles said during the final debate before the election that she supported community-based enforcement and pushed for larger reforms in the judiciary. She said that she planned to modernize hospitals and provide free higher education.[26]
Opinion polls
According to the Public Opinion Studies Report from the Center for Political Research and Studies (CIEP) at the University of Costa Rica, 55% of voters were still undecided in December 2025, and 75% said they did not sympathize with any political party.[27]
The election took place at 7,000 voting centers across Costa Rica.[22] Voting began at 6 a.m. and ended at 6 p.m.[22][25] No major irregularities were reported surrounding the election, although a brief clash occurred between supporters of Fernández and Ramos when the candidates arrived to vote.[22] 3.7 million Costa Ricans were eligible to vote in the election.[4][48]
Results
President
With 85% of the polling stations reporting, Laura Fernández Delgado of the Sovereign People's Party (PPSO) held an unassailable lead of 48.7% of the votes cast, ahead of her closest rival, Álvaro Ramos Chaves of the National Liberation Party (PLN), with 33.2%. Ramos conceded around five hours into the count.[49] Had no candidate received a 40% plurality of the valid votes in the first round, a runoff election would have been held on 5 April. There were 20 candidates for president;[50][51] other than Fernández and Ramos, none manged to break 5% of the presidential vote. Turnout was 69.10%, up 9.1 percentage points from the 2022 first round.[52]
In the Legislative Assembly election, the PPSO led in all seven of the country's provinces. The PLN placed second across the board, posting its best results in Cartago (28%), Heredia (26%) and San José (25%).[52] The PPSO won 31 seats, surpassing the absolute majority of 29. Of the remaining 26 seats, the PLN won 17 and the FA won 7. The CAC and the PUSC won one each, both in San José.[53]
After the polls closed and before the results were announced, the Supreme Electoral Court president Eugenia Zamora highlighted citizen participation in a civic day and said that "those who tried to discredit this Court and damage the trust that our people have always had in its electoral processes" had failed. She called for reconciliation, responsibility and an end to violent, and stigmatising rhetoric.[54] In her first statements as the winner, Fernández stated that "democracy has spoken and voted for continuity of change", and that she will continue her predecessor's policies.[55] Meanwhile, opposition groups warned of the possibility of an authoritarian figure coming to power following the victory of the ruling party.[56][55]
Claudia Dobles proposed the formation of a large commission in the Legislative Assembly, and Ariel Robles accepted his defeat, stating that the party would intensify its political activity in the streets.[55] Latin American presidents, including those of El Salvador (Nayib Bukele), Paraguay (Santiago Peña), Panama (José Raúl Mulino), Guatemala (Bernardo Arévalo), Honduras (Nasry Asfura), and the president-elect of Chile (José Antonio Kast), as well as the Secretary General of the Organization of American States Albert Ramdin, congratulated Fernández on her victory.[57] Prime Minister of Spain Pedro Sánchez also congratuled her.[58] The European Union issued a statement congratulating Fernández and calling for continued collaboration.[59]Marco Rubio, the United States secretary of state, congratulated Fernández and praised her tough stance on drug trafficking.[60] Fernández will be sworn in on 8 May 2026 as the second female president of Costa Rica after Laura Chinchilla.[61]
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