Fernández Wins Costa Rica’s Presidency in First-Round Landslide, Cementing Latin America’s Rightward Shift

2026-02-02 - 11:55

KEY POINTS Laura Fernández, 39, won with roughly 48.5% of the vote in a 20-candidate field, avoiding a runoff and handing her Sovereign People’s Party an absolute majority of 31 out of 57 legislative seats. The election was dominated by an unprecedented security crisis: homicides surged 38% in 2023 to an all-time record, criminal organizations