USA08 May, 20262 min read
Laura Fernández Sworn In as Costa Rica’s 50th President, Replacing Rodrigo Chaves Robles
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Laura Fernández Delgado sworn in as Costa Rica’s 50th president, four-year term (2026–2030). Replaces outgoing president Rodrigo Chaves Robles as president.
Costa Rica transition
Laura Fernández Delgado was sworn in as Costa Rica’s 50th president on Friday, replacing outgoing President Rodrigo Chaves Robles (2022-2026) in a ceremony held at the National Stadium in San José.
EFE said Fernández will serve a four-year term from 2026 to 2030 and was sworn in by Yara Jiménez, the pro-government president of the Legislative Assembly.
The Hill reported that Chaves, an ally of U.S. President Donald Trump, will serve dual roles as Fernández’s minister of the presidency and minister of finance, keeping him in the administration.
EFE noted that Francisco Gamboa and Douglas Soto were also sworn in during the ceremony, with Douglas Soto later described as future ambassador to the United States.
Al Jazeera said Fernández defeated a crowded field in the February 1 vote to replace Chaves and vowed to fight rising crime while maintaining close ties with the United States.
Chaves’ immunity, U.S. link
The Hill said Fernández’s appointments keep Chaves in two high-profile posts and grant him additional four years of legal immunity, shielding him from several investigations into alleged corruption led by the Public Prosecutor’s Office and the Supreme Electoral Tribunal. The Hill also reported that Chaves faced two unsuccessful legislative attempts to strip his immunity, first in September 2025 and again in December after the Supreme Electoral Tribunal sought an inquiry into his alleged “political belligerence” during the electoral campaign. Al Jazeera said Fernández appointed her second vice president, Douglas Soto, as ambassador to Washington to maintain close ties with the United States.
Al Jazeera reported that Kristi Noem, the U.S. special envoy spearheading the Trump administration’s militaristic approach to Latin America, was at Friday’s inauguration. EFE said the last official activity of the day for Fernández would be greeting international delegations at the convention center on the outskirts of the capital.
Security agenda and stakes
Al Jazeera said Fernández vowed sweeping reforms to Costa Rica’s judiciary and security laws and a broad crackdown on crime, and it quoted her pledge of “a war without quarter, a heavy-handed war against organised crime”. Al Jazeera linked the security push to rising crime and said Costa Rica is building a maximum security prison modelled on El Salvador’s anti-terrorism CECOT centre. The Tico Times reported that Fernández campaigned on a hardline approach to crime, including backing tougher criminal penalties, emergency measures in high-crime areas, and the completion of a maximum-security prison inspired by El Salvador’s model.
EFE said the inauguration drew delegations from 71 countries and 18 international organizations, including King Felipe VI of Spain and presidents Bernardo Arévalo of Guatemala, Nasry Asfura of Honduras, José Raúl Mulino of Panama, José Antonio Kast of Chile, Isaac Herzog of Israel, and Luis Abinader of the Dominican Republic. Al Jazeera said Fernández’s right-wing Sovereign People’s Party (PPSO) won 31 of 57 seats in the single-chamber legislature, giving her party an absolute majority as she takes office.