Costa Rica elects a woman president for the second time: Laura Fernández wins the presidential election

CENTRAL AMERICA - In Brief 02 Feb 2026 by Fernando Naranjo
Costa Rica has elected a woman as president for the second time in its history. Laura Fernández secured a victory in the presidential election, former Minister of the Presidency under the administration of Rodrigo Chaves, won the race in the first round after surpassing the 40% threshold required by law. At 39 years old, a political scientist, Fernández obtained 48.3% of the valid votes, according to the sixth official count, with 93.8% of polling stations reported. She had a lead of 15 percentage points over her closest rival, Álvaro Ramos Chaves of the Partido Liberación Nacional (PLN). Fernández’s party, Pueblo Soberano, is projected to obtain 31 seats in Congress, the largest parliamentary group. The Partido Liberación Nacional obtained 18 seats, with a total of 57 seats. If these projections are confirmed, Pueblo Soberano will have the largest governing caucus in Costa Rica since 1982. This election also marked a change from the pattern of voter disengagement in the two previous national elections. Voter turnout reached 69.1% of registered voters, reversing the last two elections trend of high abstention.

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