Reading Time: 5 minutesCosta Ricans voted for president as well as all 57 seats in the legislature on February 1. Laura Fernández, the protégé and former chief of staff of outgoing President Rodrigo Chaves, earned about 48% of the vote for the president, preventing a runoff.
Fernández’s victory in a crowded field was convincing; her closest rivals garnered around 33% and 5% of the vote, respectively. Her party, Partido Pueblo Soberano (PPSO), secured a majority of 31 seats in the legislature, which will allow it to pass a range of laws unilaterally but is not enough to reform the constitution.
Her campaign focused on Costa Rica’s rising crime rate, which has been top of mind for voters. “Change will be deep and irreversible,” she said at her victory speech as she promised a new political era. “It’s up to us to build the third republic,” she said, calling Costa Rica’s second republic founded in 1948 “a thing of the past.”
AQ asked analysts to share their reactions and perspectives.
Lucas Perelló
