RICO’s Q (Commentary) True to his usual style, outgoing president Rodrigo Chaves is keeping everyone in suspense about whether he’ll have a role in the new government until the very last moment.
The big reveal is expected on May 7, just a day before the official handover of power. That’s when Chaves might announce if he’ll join Laura Fernández’s administration—or maybe he’ll hold off and stretch the suspense just a bit longer.
If not included in the new administration, Chaves will lose his immunity, opening the door to the many legal challenges that have built up during his time in office.
When reporters cornered him Monday outside the Escuela Metálica in San José at the start of the 2026 school year, Chaves kept things vague.
“That’s probably a question the people of Costa Rica will know the answer to around May 7,” he said, also confirming he plans to forgo the pension he’s entitled to as a former president.
Since the presidential election on February 2, President-elect Laura Fernández has expressed a clearly her desire for Chaves to serve as Minister of the Presidency—a role she once held before running for president and recently resumed after the election, marking a first in Costa Rican politics.
Chaves said he wants to talk with Fernández before deciding on any role in her government.
So far, no date has been set for their meeting.
-ferna