MIAMI - Laura Fernández, Costa Rica’s ruling party candidate from the conservative Pueblo Soberano, or Sovereign People’s Party (PPSO), is the declared winner of the nation’s presidential election on Sunday, advancing the ideological tenure of her predecessor and conservative colleague, Rodrigo Chaves of the Social Democratic Progress Party.
Polls closed at 6:00 p.m. local time on Sunday as voters ranked crime and public safety as one of the most important issues leading residents to the voting booths.
On Monday morning, the election was effectively ended in a decisive victory for Fernández, who campaigned on the continuation of Chaves’ strong-on-crime approach, the promise to follow through on tough anti-drug trafficking measures, and the start of the construction of a major prison complex modeled after Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele’s notorious CECOT.
With over 90% of ballots counted, Fernández finished with a comfortable lead over four other candidates with a well over 40% margin, thereby avoiding a potential run-off with second-place challenger, economist Álvaro Ramos of the National Liberation Party, who collected 33.4% of the votes.
Fernández will provide the nation’s conservative revival a fresh start after President Chaves leaves office on May 8. The Chaves government has been mired in corruption scandals since it resumed office in 2022. Chaves has been forced to face down legal troubles after persistent allegations of receiving bribes to give kickbacks to political and business allies.
Chaves’ political opposition in Congress has been committed to stripping Chaves of his presidential immunity status in an effort to prosecute the president on corruption charges following multiple fallouts during his administration.
In August 2025, a three-member Congressional committee voted to reject the lifting of the president’s immunity status, as opponents called for additional efforts to reopen the immunity question.
Chaves’ domestic woes have disenchanted voters who remain eager for a resurgence of populist conservatism even as Costa Rica’s political left has been unable to mount a cohesive political response to the rise of Chaves and his conservative approach.
Costa Rica, which has historically remained fantastically untouched by the political and socio-economic turmoils of its Central American neighbors (and partner in Latin America for that matter) since the early 20th century, has experienced a violent crime epidemic that has surged in recent years, creating tremendous instability in the country and reducing the public safety that Costa Ricans have taken for granted for decades.
A coastal paradise, where tourism has become its primary industry, sound government, and a Central American refuge that abolished its military in 1948 in an effort to refocus government funds on economic development, public works, and education, has become infected by the scourge of criminal drug trafficking organizations flooding the territory with illicit narcotics and military-grade weapons. Regional drug cartels have co-opted local Costa Rican street gangs to usurp control of profitable drug zones that allow networks to push their products north, further into Central America.
Violent crime has skyrocketed in recent years, since 2016. Robberies in the central tourist zones in the capital of San José not only affect local residents but also those who come to Costa Rica to witness the jungle paradise while on holiday.
Many voters, however, express their faith in the conservative populist methods. The majority of Costa Ricans feel that the conservative, strong-on-crime approach is the only way forward for Costa Rica, and believe that Fernández will continue to carry the mantle.
Fernández’s victory comes as a recurring thunderbolt to liberal progressives in Latin America, as the region continues to be swept by a conservative populist wave. Recent election victories removing left-wing governments from power have been felt in El Salvador, Argentina, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Chile, Honduras, and now Costa Rica.
These political overcurrents come with generations. Malaise and the endless crime wave of previous decades have lit the fire for the conservative movement in Latin America that we see today. Whether progressives can mount a serious comeback is today difficult to envision.
