Laura Fernández (center above) the New Costa Rica President for the Sovereign People Party in Costa Rica

2026-02-02 - 22:08

Security, order and strong leadership marked the campaign of Laura Fernández, the new president of Costa Rica. Laura Fernández, 39, made history this Sunday by becoming the second woman to assume the presidency of Costa Rica, after winning the election in the first round with more than 48% of the vote. Her victory was marked by a discourse focused on a tough stance against crime, strengthening citizen security, and a frontal assault on corruption. The candidate from the center-right Sovereign People’s Party, led by outgoing President Rodrigo Chaves, won by a wide margin, allowing her to assume power without a runoff election. Her direct style and narrative of order and authority have earned her the nickname “the Bukele of Costa Rica,” a reference to Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele. A political scientist by training, Fernández developed her career in academia and public administration before making the definitive leap into electoral politics. During the campaign, she presented herself as the continuation of Chaves’s political project, positioning herself as his “heir” and capitalizing on public discontent with the rise in insecurity and crime. His proposal calls for a stronger state, reforms to the security system, a greater police presence, and changes to the governance model. These initiatives garnered him strong popular support, though also criticism from sectors that warn of potential risks to civil liberties. With her rise to power, Laura Fernández marks a generational shift in Costa Rican politics and opens a new chapter in the regional debate on security, democracy, and strong leadership in Central America. Costa Rica’s president-elect, Laura Fernández, speaks during a press conference in San José, Costa Rica. Fernández, a 39-year-old political scientist, stated that she will be “respectful of the sovereignty of peoples.” Laura Fernández, the president-elect who promises continuity in Costa Rica. Costa Rica’s President-Elect Envisions a Close Relationship with Panama, the U.S. and El Salvador Mulino Congratulates Laura Fernández and Sends a Key Signal about the Panama-Costa Rica Relationship Panamanian President José Raúl Mulino congratulated Laura Fernández on Sunday night, February 1, after her victory in the Costa Rican presidential elections was confirmed. “I congratulate Laura Fernández on her victory. I wish her success in her administration and invite her to continue working together, increasingly integrated, for the benefit of our countries,” the president wrote on his social media, highlighting the spirit of cooperation between the two nations. Fernández emerged victorious after obtaining 48.3% of the votes, a result that allowed her to win in the first round and become the next president of Costa Rica for the 2026-2030 term. Her victory was confirmed on Sunday by the Costa Rican electoral authorities. Panama and Costa Rica maintain a long-standing relationship of neighborliness and cooperation, marked by diplomatic, commercial, and security ties. In recent months, both countries have held talks to strengthen trade, coordinate actions on migration issues, and reinforce security in their shared border region. One of the most recent developments in the bilateral relationship was the commitment of both governments to resume dialogue to resolve trade differences, as well as to advance joint projects of regional integration and economic cooperation, reaffirming their status as brother countries within Central America. The Panamanian president’s congratulations send a political signal of continuity in the bilateral relationship and open the door to a new stage of joint work between Panama and Costa Rica under the leadership of Laura Fernández. Panama congratulated Laura Fernández after she won the presidency of Costa Rica and highlighted the bilateral relationship.