Q COSTARICA — Costa Rican President Rodrigo Chaves will serve as Ministro de la Presidencia and Ministro de Hacienda (Chief of Staff and Minister of Finance) in the incoming government, President-elect Laura Fernández announced Tuesday.
Fernández, who will begin her term on Friday, May 8, presented her cabinet on Tuesday, announcing the continuity of numerous figures from Chaves’ administration, including the president himself, who will hold two ministerial positions: He will also coordinate the government’s economic sector.
The president-elect praised Chaves’ work and the “love for Costa Rica” that unites them and thanked him for agreeing to join her “great team.”
“Don Rodrigo, what can I say to you, you who created ‘you won’t let up’ and now ‘we’re going to keep pushing.’ I am absolutely certain that, just as we have done since the first day of your administration, we will continue to work very well as a team, with you contributing your talent and love for Costa Rica along with mine,” Laura Fernández
This marks the first time in the country’s recent history that an outgoing president has assumed a ministerial post in the incoming administration. Similarly, it was unprecedented for Fernández to accept her position as Minister of the Presidency after winning the elections on February 1st.
Laura Fernández, who won the election with the right-wing conservative Partido Pueblo Soberano (PPSO), will retain key figures from the Cháves administration in the ministerial posts of Foreign Affairs, Security, Education, and Public Works and Transportation, as well as in strategic institutions such as the social security system, the electricity sector, and the National Emergency Commission.
At an event held at the Teatro Popular Melico Salazar in San José, Fernández introduced Manuel Tovar, the current Minister of Foreign Trade, as Foreign Minister, and Gerald Campos, currently serving as Minister of Justice and Peace, as Minister of Security.
The president-elect said that each appointment was the result of “a deeply considered, deliberate, and analyzed decision” and that these individuals have “the capacity, sensitivity, and commitment to transform their positions into a real tool for improving the lives of Costa Ricans.”
Fernández described her upcoming term as “the Government of Continuity,” which aims to “deepen the legacy of (outgoing president) Rodrigo (Chaves) and take us even further.”
“We are the team that doesn’t let up and that will continue to push forward,” said the president-elect, who affirmed that she felt “blessed” to “serve with honor, transparency, and human sensitivity.”
Fernández also announced that the second vice president, Douglas Soto, will be Costa Rica’s ambassador to the United States.
As part of the continuity of Rodrigo Chaves’s administration (2022-2026), Fernández will retain the following ministers: Paula Bogantes (Science, Technology, Innovation, and Telecommunications), Efraín Zeledón (Public Works and Transportation), Leonardo Sánchez (Education), Yorleni León (Human Development and Social Inclusion), Arnold Zamora (Communication), and Jorge Rodríguez (Culture and Youth).
Presidents of institutions will also continue, including Marco Acuña at the Costa Rican Electricity Institute (ICE), Alejandro Picado at the National Emergency Commission (CONAE), and Mónica Taylor at the Costa Rican Social Security Fund (CCSS), among others.
Chaves will carry two burdens
One of the questions raised by the experts is how Chaves will handle the workload of assuming two such important portfolios.
Alvardo Ramos, presidential candidate of the Partido Liberación Nacional (PLN), the party with the single largest opposition bloc in the legislative assembly, said: “We hope that, in this new role, Ms. Laura will give (Rodrigo Chaves) clear instructions that we need a respectful dialogue.”
For his part, José María Villalta, leader of the Frente Amplio party with the second largest opposition bloc in the legislative assembly, said, “It’s a cabinet of clear continuity where there are practically no surprises. Most of the positions from the outgoing government remain.”
Sarcastically commenting on Rodrigo Chaves’ appointment to the new cabinet, Villalta added: “All that’s missing is for her to appoint him (Chaves) as the national (soccer) team coach”.