Presidential candidate Laura Fernández addresses supporters after polls closed in San Jose, Costa Rica, on Feb. 1, 2026. Carlos Borbon/AP Photo
Laura Fernández, a protege of outgoing President Rodrigo Chaves, won Costa Rica’s presidential election on Feb. 1, with her ruling Sovereign People’s Party on course to gain a majority in Congress, according to preliminary results.
Results announced in the early hours of Feb. 2 showed that Fernández, regarded as a populist and a conservative, had secured nearly half of the votes with 88.43 percent of ballots counted.
