Q COSTARICA — Sunday night, hours after the polls closed, Costa Rica had a new president-elect: Laura Virginia Fernández Delgado.
With 48.5% of the vote, from 97% of the polls scrutinized, the candidate from the Partido Pueblo Soberano (PPSO) will assume the presidency on May 8, becoming the country’s 50th president and the second woman to hold that office.
Fernández’s victory is also a clear victory for Chavismo, led by outgoing President Rodrigo Chaves, not only because his successor was elected president, but also because it was a resounding victory over her rivals.
Álvaro Ramos of the Partido Liberación Nacional (33%), Claudia Dobles of Agenda Ciudadana (4.8%), and Ariel Robles of the Broad Front (3.7%) fell far short of Fernández’s total, according to the latest data from the Tribunal Supremo de Elecciones (TSE).
The PPSO was victorious despite warnings of opposition that the supposed beginning of a dictatorship was imminent.
Aside from the election results, Fernández inherits a country facing significant challenges in education, health, and security, while the current administration’s economic achievements do not appear to be benefiting the citizens.
What can we expect from the new president?
In healthcare, Fernández proposes regular independent audits of the Costa Rican Social Security System (CCSS) to support strategic decisions that benefit those insured.
This is complemented by immediate technical intervention to reduce waiting lists, in partnership with universities and other institutions, with the goal of ensuring that appointments and specialized surgeries are performed in a timely manner. Strengthening the EBAIS clinics, mental health care, and promoting telemedicine complete this focus.
In education, the president-elect has emphasized the urgency of resolving infrastructure problems.
Her plan prioritizes schools currently under health orders, while also promising to expand coverage of the Avancemos scholarship program, school cafeterias, and school transportation, in order to guarantee that students living in poverty remain in the education system.
Meanwhile, security has emerged as one of the major challenges recognized by the president-elect. Her proposal includes a firm hand against organized crime and drug trafficking, as well as reforms aimed at a more efficient and agile State, the end of luxury pensions, the promotion of Government City, with estimated savings of up to US$30 million annually, and the closure of the co-governance of the Comptroller’s Office.
To the Presidential Chair
Fernández assumes the Presidency after holding key positions in the current government,
She served as Minister of National Planning and Economic Policy from 2022 to 2025 and subsequently as Minister of the Presidency (Chief of Staff) from 2024 to 2025.
Her background combines training in public policy and democratic governance with an extensive career within the government.
Before joining the cabinet, she worked in the municipal system as a strategic planning manager, served as director of parliamentary advisory services in the Legislative Assembly, and held various technical positions in the Ministry of Planning, before assuming the position of Minister.
Fernández was one of the most prominent figures in Rodrigo Chaves’ administration. Her time at the Ministry of Planning and later at the Ministry of the Presidency placed her in a central position within the government team.
On a personal level, the president-elect emphasizes her strong family ties and a vocation for public service.
“I am the mother of a wonderful 3-year-old daughter, Fernanda, the wife of Jeffrey, and I am a down-to-earth person who wants to dedicate my heart and soul to serving Costa Rica,” Fernández said.
In her acceptance speech Sunday night, the president-elect focused on the future of her government and the country. Fernández declared that her election signifies the end of the Second Republic, the period in the country’s history that began after the 1948 civil war, and the beginning of a Third Republic.
“The change will be profound and irreversible,” Fernández said, mentioning that democratic transformations are coming, without going into details about what they are.
Within the Third Republic, Fernández envisions an opposition that is vigilant and scrutinizing, but also one that is neither obstructive nor vindictive.
The country’s next president spoke of changing certain rules of the political game, although she promised that the guiding principles of peace, freedom, and solidarity would remain intact.
“A law that doesn’t work is modified or repealed,” was another of the phrases Fernández uttered from the stage. Later, the president-elect promised to pay tribute during her term to current President Rodrigo Chaves and pledged to continue his legacy.
2026 Election Results
The result of Sunday’s poll results, based on the TSE latest count, the presidential votes:
- Laura Fernández 48.51%
- Álvaro Ramos 33.32%
- Claudia Dobles 4.81%
- Abstention Rate 30.07%
Legislative votes
Costa Ricans also voted Sunday for their legislative representation. All 57 members of the Legislative Assembly are elected via proportional representation in multimember districts. All members are elected to a non-consecutively renewable 4-year term.
The results:
- Partido Pueblo Soberano (PPSO): 30 seats
- Partido Liberación Nacional (PLN): 18 seats
- Frente Amplio (FA): 7 seats
- Coalición Agenda Ciudadana (CAC): 1 seat
- Partido Unida Social Cristiana (PUSC): 1 seat