Q COSTARICA — This Sunday, January 11, during her first national debate, Laura Fernández, the ruling party candidate from the Partido Pueblo Soberano (PPSO), had to dodge “fierce attacks” from her opponents in the event organized by the Supreme Electoral Tribunal (TSE)—the elections tribunal.
The format established by the electoral body not only allowed for the presentation of proposals but also included reproaches, counterattacks, and recriminations as part of the debate’s repertoire.
For example, Claudio Alpízar, of Esperanza Nacional, stated that if the current administration continues, homicides will rise from 3,000 to 8,000 in four years.
The leader of the emerging party also questioned “the disaster” left by former Minister of Education Anna Katharina Müller, who, despite this, was rewarded with a seat in Congress.
Alpízar also criticized Fernández’s handling of the public employment law, which, according to him, has negatively impacted the public sector.
“You know that the nation’s teachers are suffering greatly today because of you. As Minister of Planning, you were terrible; you were the one who approved the regulations that disrupted the entire national salary structure, and now the entire public sector is in a deplorable state. (…) During this administration, you had a Minister of Education who was a complete failure. She failed at everything. She couldn’t even present the education roadmap, and when she was supposed to, she ran away, she resigned. We never heard the continuity candidate speak about it, and the worst part is that she was rewarded with a candidacy for Congress,” Alpízar said.
Narco (Drug Trafficking) and the Government
Meanwhile, Eli Feinzaig, of the Partido Liberal Progresista (PLP), emphasized that continuing with ‘Chavismo’ would be handing the country over to drug trafficking.
Feinzaig even pointed out that the PPSO has nominated José Miguel Villalobos, a lawyer who is a personal advisor to the president and who has defended drug traffickers in the past, as its candidate for legislator in Alajuela.
“It would be like handing our youth over to drug trafficking… Your government, Ms. Laura, removed the coast guard service from the coast. You removed the Drug Control Police from ports and airports and turned off the radars. You haven’t just failed to combat drug trafficking, you don’t want to because you are part of it. Among your candidates for legislator is a lawyer for drug traffickers, the same one who defends Cháves,” Feinzaig stated.
To top it all off, Alpízar later pointed out that this same congressional candidate owes money to the Caja Costarricense de Seguro Social (CCSS)—the social security fund that foreigners are required to register to and maintain funding to obtain and renew their residency—and that Marta Esquivel, the CCSS’s former president, is one of the people who has done the most damage to the institution, and yet she was nominated as a congressional candidate.
Laura: They’re trying to gang up on me.
For her part, Fernández didn’t back down from her rivals’ attacks and asserted that not even a gang could hurt her.
“You, Mr. Eli, have the audacity to speak to me here about the candidates for Congress from the PPSO, when just yesterday one of your candidates from the PLP gave her endorsement to none other than the Communist Party of this country. Oh, Mr. Eli, you have the audacity, you and all the other gentlemen here, to come here in a mob and try to kick me (…) how obvious it is that you don’t know me and that you haven’t the slightest idea of what I’m made of? This government inherited Costa Rica practically in ruins and has made a heroic effort to restore security. We installed scanners at the ports; ignorance is audacious,” Fernández said.
Fernández has positioned herself as a continuation of President Rodrigo Chaves’ policies, embracing many of his key initiatives. Supporters argue that this alignment offers stability and clear direction, while detractors view this close association as a sign that Fernández lacks independent vision, increasingly portrayed by detractors as a puppet of President Rodrigo Chaves.
Costa Ricans go to the polls on Sunday, February 1, 2026