2026 Costa Rican general election

2026 Costa Rican general election

←  2022 1 February 2026 2030 →

Presidential election

Nominee Laura Fernández Delgado Álvaro Ramos Claudia Dobles Camargo Party PPSO PLN PAC Alliance Citizens' Agenda Coalition Running mate Franscisco Gamboa Douglas Soto Karen Segura Xinia Chaves Andrea Centeno Luis Felipe Arauz

Incumbent President Rodrigo Chaves Robles PPSD

Legislative election

All 57 seats in the Legislative Assembly 29 seats needed for a majority

Party Leader Current seats PLN Álvaro Ramos Chaves 18 PPSD Luz Mary Alpízar Loaiza 9 PUSC Juan Carlos Hidalgo Bogantes 9 PNR Fabricio Alvarado Muñoz 6 FA Ariel Robles Barrantes 6 PLP Eliécer Feinzaig Mintz 2 Independents — 7

General elections are due to be held in Costa Rica on 1 February 2026. ^{[1] [2]} If no candidate for president receives a 40% plurality of the valid votes in the first round, a runoff election will be held on 5 April.

There are 20 candidates for president. ^{[3] [4]}

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. ^[5]

The 57 members of the Legislative Assembly of Costa Rica are elected using closed list proportional representation through the largest remainder method from seven multi-member constituencies with between four and 19 seats, which are based on the seven provinces. ^[6]

Opinion polls

According to the Public Opinion Studies Report from the Center for Political Research and Studies (CIEP) at the University of Costa Rica in December 2025, 55% of voters were still undecided, and 75% declared they did not sympathize with any political party. ^[7]

Presidential

Start of the political campaign

Pollster	Date	Sample						Other	DK/DA	Neither
			Alvarado PNR	Dobles PAC/ADN	Fernández PPSO	Ramos PLN	Robles FA
IDESPO [8]	22 January, 2026	805	1.7%	5.2%	39.9%	6.0%	3.5%	4.2%	38.8%	0.7%
OPOL [9]	21 January, 2026	3075	3.5%	3.6%	43.2%	6.6%	2.6%	10.4%	29.8%	0.3%
CIEP [10]	21 January, 2026	1006	4.0%	5.0%	40.0%	8.0%	4.0%	6.7%	32.0%	0.3%
OPOL [11]	14 January, 2026	3070	4.2%	3.1%	42.5%	6.2%	3.0%	9.2%	29.0%	2.8%
OPOL [12]	7 January, 2026	3008	3.3%	2.7%	40.3%	6.0%	3.1%	9.6%	34.5%	0.5%
CID Gallup [13]	6 January, 2026	1200	5.9%	3.6%	40.7%	9.0%	4.3%	11.1%	11.0%	14.4%
OPOL [14]	23 December, 2025	3241	3.0%	2.6%	39.4%	5.6%	3.1%	9.6%	33.8%	2.9%
Demoscopía [15]	15 December, 2025	1200	3.5%	3.1%	27.4%	11.3%	4.8%	8.2%	41.7%	-
OPOL [16]	10 December, 2025	2965	3.8%	2.4%	38.0%	6.1%	3.6%	11.2%	32.7%	2.2%
Idespo [17]	8 December, 2025	805	1.5%	5.2%	32.8%	6.6%	3.7%	2.9%	45.5%	1.8%
CIEP [18]	3 December, 2025	1759	1.0%	4.0%	30.0%	8.0%	5.0%	4.4%	45.0%	2.6%
OPOL [19]	26 November, 2025	3040	3.7%	2.8%	37.7%	6.9%	3.4%	10.5%	34.1%	0.9%
Demoscopía [20]	17 November 2025	1200	5.0%	3.0%	21.4%	9.0%	4.0%	10.5%	19.4%	27.7%
OPOL [21]	12 November, 2025	3072	4.0%	1.3%	37.8%	7.2%	2.4%	8.4%	37.9%	1.0%
IDESPO [22]	6 November, 2025	832	0.6%	2.3%	28.1%	6.2%	2.9%	3.9%	54.0%	2.0%
OPOL [23]	29 October, 2025	2951	4.8%	2.9%	31.2%	7.4%	3.7%	9.2%	39.0%	1.8%
CIEP [24]	22 October, 2025	1333	0.6%	3.0%	25.0%	7.0%	3.0%	3.9%	55.0%	2.5%

Prior to the start of the political campaign

Pollster	Date	Sample						Other	DK/DA	Neither
			Alvarado PNR	Dobles PAC/ADN	Fernández PPSO	Ramos PLN	Robles FA
OPOL [25]	30 September, 2025	3000	8.7%	5.5%	45.1%	9.4%	6.4%	24.9%	-
Enfoques Investigaciones MP [26]	18 September, 2025	800	13.0%	5.0%	26.0%	9.0%	3.0%	12.0%	32.0%	-
CID Gallup [27]	11 September, 2025	1205	15.0%	5.0%	20.0%	8.0%	4.0%	12.0%	12.0%	24.0%
CIEP [28]	10 September, 2025	1003	1.0%	2.0%	12.0%	6.0%	5.0%	12.0%	57.0%	5.0%
OPOL [29]	3 September, 2025	3000	6.8%	3.9%	27.6%	8.4%	4.2%	14.8%	5.6%	28.7%
Sondeo CIOdD-UCR [30]	2 September, 2025	4111	0.8%	17.2%	13.1%	24.7%	20.8%	15.3%	8.1%	-
OPOL [31]	5 August, 2025	3020	7.2%	3.4%	24.0%	7.1%	3.2%	11.9%	14.7%	28.5%
OPOL [32]	8 July 2025	1800	10.3%	3.8%	13.1%	7.6%	2.9%	17.6%	9.3%	35.4%

Prior to the National Liberation Party Convention

Pollster	Date	Sample											Other	DK/DA	Neither
			Alvarado PNR	Amador Ind .	Batalla Ind.	Delgado PLN	Díaz PUP	Dobles PAC/ADN	Esquivel Ind.	Feinzaig PLP	Fernández Ind	Ramos PLN
				Ind.	Ind.				Ind.		Ind.
OPOL [33]	5 March, 2025	2400	9.2%	2.8%	11.4%	1.1%	1.9%	2.1%	-	1.6%	12.3%	3.8%	7.9%	12.8%	33.1%
OPOL [34]	10 de February, 2025		9.3%	5.7%	7.3%	1.2%	1.5%	3.9%		2.7%	9.4%	3.4%	11.1%	9.9%	34.6%
CID Gallup [35]	11 January, 2025	1202	-	7.0%	5.0%	1.0%	5.0%	-	4.0%	-	3.0%	5.0%	4.0%	-	66.0%

Legislative

Pollster	Date	Sample	PA	PPSD	PNR	PIN	CR1	PACRM	PUP	PAC/ADN	PLP	PPSO	PUSC	PLN	FA	PEL	PNG	Other	DK/DA	Neither
CIEP [10]	21 January, 2026	1006	1.0% 1	0.6% 1	1.0% 1	0.1% 0	0.0% 0	0.0% 0	0.1% 0	1.5% 2	0.6% 1	29.0% 31	2.0% 2	9.0% 10	7.0% 8	0.0% 0	0.1% 0	0.4% 0	46.0%	1.1%
IDESPO [17]	8 December, de 2025	805	0.2% 0	2.3% 2	1.6% 2	0.1% 0	0.2% 0	0.0% 0	0.1% 0	1.8% 2	0.9% 1	29.5% 30	2.8% 3	10.8% 11	6.1% 6	0.0% 0	0.0% 0	0.7% 0	41.1%	1.8%
CIEP [24]	22 October, 2025	1333	0.1% 0	2.0% 3	0.2% 0	0.3% 1	0.0% 0	0.0% 0	0.3% 1	1.2% 2	0.5% 1	14.0% 22	2.0% 3	8.0% 12	6.0% 9	0.2% 0	0.1% 0	2.1% 3	60.0%	3.0%
CIEP [28]	10 September, 2025	1003	0.1% 0	5.0% 10	0.5% 1	0.0% 0	0.0% 0	0.2% 0	0.2% 0	1.0% 2	1.0% 2	7.0% 13	2.0% 4	5.0% 10	7.0% 13	0.0% 0	0.5% 1	0.5% 1	70.0%	-

Presidential candidates

The following table shows the candidates nominated by the eligible parties:

Party		Ideology	Ticket
			Name	1st Vice President	2nd Vice President
	Broad Front	Democratic socialism	Ariel Robles	Margarita Salas Guzmán	Guillermo Arroyo Muñoz
	Citizen Agenda (coalition of the Citizen s' Action Party and National Democratic Agenda)	Social democracy	Claudia Dobles Camargo	Andrea Centeno Rodríguez	Luis Felipe Arauz Cavallini
	Costa Rica First Alliance	Social democracy	Douglas Caamaño Quirós	Lissa Ivannis Freckleton Owens	Carlos Moya Bonilla
	Costa Rican Democratic Union Party	Social democracy	Boris Molina Acevedo	José Edgardo Morales Romero	Maricela Morales Mora
	Costa Rican Social Justice Party	Social democracy	Walter Rubén Hernández Juárez	Shirley González Mora	Eduardo Rojas Murillo
	Costa Rica Rules Here	Populism	Ronny Castillo González	Hazel María Arias Mata	William Martín Anderson Lewis
	Democratic and Social Center Party	Social conservatism	Ana Virginia Calzada Miranda	Oldemar Rodríguez Rojas	Heilen Díaz Gutiérrez
	Forward	Classical liberalism	José Miguel Aguilar Berrocal	Evita Arguedas Maklouf	Marcela Ortiz Bonilla
	Hope and Freedom Party	Humanism	Marco David Rodríguez Badilla	Carlos Francisco Palacios Franco	Karla Fabiola Romero Cruz
	National Hope Party	Progressive conservatism	Claudio Alberto Alpízar Otoya	Andrés Castillo Saborío	Nora Elena González Chacón
	National Integration Party	Catch-all party	Luis Esteban Amador Jiménez	Jorge Mario Borbón Rojas	Katya Berdugo Ulate
	National Liberation Party	Social democracy	Álvaro Roberto Ramos Chaves	Karen Segura Fernández	Xinia María Chaves Quirós
	New Generation Party	Conservatism	Fernando Zamora Castellanos	Lisbeth Quesada Tristán	Yeudy Sulem Araya Herrera
	New Republic Party	Conservatism	Gerardo Fabricio Alvarado Muñoz	David Lorenzo Segura Gamboa	Rosalía Brown Young
	Progressive Liberal Party	Liberalism	Eliécer Feinzaig Mintz	Tannia Molina Rojas	Gabriel Zamora Baudrit
	Social Christian Unity Party	Christian democracy	Juan Carlos Hidalgo Bogantes	Yolanda Fernández Ochoa	Steven Alberto Barrantes Núñez
	Social Democratic Progress Party	Liberalism	Luz Mary Alpízar Loaiza	Frank Alberto Mc Kenzie Peterkin	Maritza Bustamante Venegas
	Sovereign People's Party	Right-wing populism	Laura Virginia Fernández Delgado	Francisco Ernesto Gamboa Soto	Douglas Soto Campos
	United We Can	Classical liberalism	Natalia Díaz Quintana	Jorge Ernesto Ocampo Sánchez	Luis Diego Vargas Rodríguez
	Working Class Party	Trotskyism	David Hernandez Brenes	Obeth Morales Barquero	Jeimy Castro Valverde

References

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2. "Costa Rica 2026 Elections Kick Off: 20 Candidates Vie for Presidency". The Tico Times. 2 October 2025. Retrieved 8 November 2025.
3. "Elecciones Costa Rica 2026: los planes de gobierno y el perfil de los candidatos a la presidencia y diputados". La Nación (in Spanish). Retrieved 18 January 2026.
4. "Costa Rica 2026 Elections Kick Off: 20 Candidates Vie for Presidency". Tico Times. 2 October 2025. Retrieved 18 January 2026.
5. Costa Rica IFES
6. Electoral system IPU
7. Mazariegos, Miranda (12 December 2025). "Costa Rica: Meet the Candidates 2026". Americas Quarterly. Retrieved 18 January 2026.
8. "Informe de Resultados de La Encuesta de Opinión Pública". repositorio.una.ac.cr. 22 January 2026.
9. Angulo, Yamileth (21 January 2026). "Encuesta OPOL: Laura Fernández a las puertas de victoria histórica".
10. "Informe de Resultados de La Encuesta de Opinión Pública". Center for Political Research and Studies. 21 January 2026.
11. Angulo, Yamileth (14 January 2026). "Encuesta: Laura Fernández sigue subiendo mientras rivales se estancan".
12. Angulo, Yamileth (7 January 2026). "Encuesta: Laura Fernández duplica en apoyo a todos sus rivales juntos".
13. Romero, Fernanda (6 January 2026). "Laura Fernández lidera intención de voto con 41% en última encuesta de Cid Gallup".
14. Angulo, Yamileth (23 December 2025). "Encuesta: Laura Fernández termina el año con arrolladora ventaja que la pone a ganar en primera ronda".
15. Arrieta, Esteban (15 December 2025). "Lucha por entrar al desempate electoral "es a muerte", según Demoscopía".
16. OPOL (10 December 2025). "Encuesta: Laura Fernández se perfila a ganar en primera ronda sin rivales cerca".
17. "Informe de Resultados de La Encuesta de Opinión Pública". Universidad Nacional de Costa Rica. 8 December 2025.
18. "Informe de Resultados de La Encuesta de Opinión Pública". Center for Political Research and Studies. 3 December 2025.
19. Angulo, Yamileth (26 November 2025). "Encuesta: Laura Fernández mantiene un fuerte apoyo a dos meses de las elecciones". El Mundo CR (in Spanish). Retrieved 26 November 2025.
20. Quirós, Bharley (17 November 2025). "Nueva encuesta reafirma primer lugar de Fernández, pero perfila el balotaje". Diario Extra (in Spanish). Retrieved 17 November 2025.
21. Angulo, Yamileth (12 November 2025). "Encuesta: Laura Fernández tiene más apoyo que todos sus rivales juntos". El Mundo CR (in Spanish). Retrieved 12 November 2025.
22. "Informe de la encuesta "Percepción sobre la coyuntura política y el proceso electoral nacional, 2026". Universidad Nacional de Costa Rica. Retrieved 6 November 2025.
23. Angulo, Yamileth (30 October 2025). "Laura Fernández aumenta ventaja a tres meses de las elecciones". El Mundo CR (in Spanish). Retrieved 30 October 2025.
24. "Informe de Resultados de La Encuesta CIEP UCR Octubre 2025". Center for Political Research and Studies.
25. "Informe de Resultados de La Encuesta de Opinión Pública". Universidad Nacional de Costa Rica. 22 January 2026.
26. "Aún sin favorito claro para 2026, Laura Fernández encabeza intención de voto, según encuesta". ameliarueda.com. Retrieved 18 September 2025.
27. Angulo, Yamileth (14 January 2026). "Encuesta: Laura Fernández sigue subiendo mientras rivales se estancan".
28. "Informe de Resultados de La Encuesta de Opinión Pública". Center for Political Research and Studies.
29. Angulo, Yamileth (7 January 2026). "Encuesta: Laura Fernández duplica en apoyo a todos sus rivales juntos".
30. Romero, Fernanda (6 January 2026). "Laura Fernández lidera intención de voto con 41% en última encuesta de Cid Gallup".
31. Angulo, Yamileth (23 December 2025). "Encuesta: Laura Fernández termina el año con arrolladora ventaja que la pone a ganar en primera ronda".
32. Arrieta, Esteban (15 December 2025). "Lucha por entrar al desempate electoral "es a muerte", según Demoscopía".
33. "Informe de Resultados de La Encuesta de Opinión Pública". Universidad Nacional de Costa Rica. 22 January 2026.
34. Angulo, Yamileth (23 December 2025). "Encuesta: Laura Fernández termina el año con arrolladora ventaja que la pone a ganar en primera ronda".
35. "Luis Amador, figura política con mayor apoyo "si las elecciones fueran hoy", según encuesta de CID Gallup". ameliarueda.com (in Spanish). 11 January 2025. Retrieved 17 March 2025.