Q COSTARICA — The hardline approach implemented by Nayib Bukele in El Salvador to curb gang violence is admired by President-elect Laura Fernández, who intends to replicate that style in Costa Rica.
Fernández warns that in Costa Rica, “we went too far with a progressive model that protected criminals and neglected the victims of those criminals.”
The president-elect, who takes office on May 8, emphasized that her administration will use the results achieved in El Salvador as a reference, although she stressed that respect for the rule of law will be a central tenet of her administration.
Fernández made these remarks in an interview with the German international network DW Español.
“Yes, sir, I will replicate it. It strikes me as odd that international organizations are so concerned about the human rights of criminals and not equally concerned about the human rights of the victims murdered by those criminals. So, yes, I admire the results achieved in El Salvador, and there are things I want to replicate in Costa Rica, things that are already being replicated here,” she stated.
However, Fernández clarified that her proposal will not involve actions outside the Costa Rican legal framework.
“I am not saying here that we are going to promote the arrests of people without criminal records. The guarantees offered by Costa Rica’s constitutional and legal framework will be upheld,” she emphasized.
The president-elect also focused on the national prison system, pointing out structural weaknesses that, in her view, allow criminal activity to continue from within prisons.
“I admire Bukele’s model, which, with its maximum-security prison, managed to disconnect and dismantle organized crime gangs. What happens today here in Costa Rica? A person is sentenced for drug trafficking and organized crime and goes to prison, but from prison they remain connected to the gangs they belong to,” he questioned.
According to Fernández, the lack of effective controls in prisons allows inmates to continue operating within criminal networks.
“Inmates in Costa Rica, due to the lack of a prison system that establishes real controls, continue to operate within drug trafficking and organized crime networks from prison. The only difference is that now their shelter, food, and protection are paid for by Costa Rican taxpayers,” he concluded.
Fernández is accused of wanting to lead the country down the path of authoritarianism with her proposals for a hardline approach against drug trafficking and reforms of the powers of the State.
Blame the PAC
In that same forum, the incoming president blamed the two administrations of the Partido Accioan Cuiadana (PAC) for the insecurity the country has faced since 2022, with Rodrigo Chaves’ rise to power.
Specifically, she pointed to the administrations of Luis Guillermo Solís (2014-2018) and Carlos Alvarado (2018-2022).
“Yes, what failed us were, first and foremost, the two governments that preceded this administration. A kind of pressure cooker exploded on us,” Fernández emphasized in the interview.