Bukele's admirer who will govern Costa Rica: "The change will be profound and irreversible"

BarcelonaWith promises of a "tough" approach to security and constitutional reforms, Laura Fernández has won the first round of Costa Rica's presidential elections by an overwhelming majority and will be the new president. With the vote count nearly complete, the candidate from the Sovereign People's Party—who presented herself as the "heir" of current President Rodrigo Chaves—has obtained more than 48% of the votes, placing her well ahead of the second-place candidate, the social democrat Álvaro Ramos, who garnered 3%. Fernández, at only 39 years old, becomes the second woman to win the presidency in Costa Rican history, following the social democrat Laura Chinchilla, who governed from 2010 to 2014. "The mandate given to me by the sovereign people is..." she declared in her victory speech, in which she declared the end of a political cycle and pledged to found "the third republic," alluding to institutional and constitutional reforms.

The former Minister of the Presidency and of Planning during the Chávez administration—and even his Chief of Staff—now takes the reins from the conservative leader, who came to power in 2022 with a populist and supposedly reformist discourse, railing against corruption and growing insecurity. Fernández has pledged to continue implementing the security policies initiated by her predecessor to combat violence and drug trafficking, including completing the construction of [unspecified infrastructure]. a high-security prison modeled after the CECOT mega-prison in El Salvador, conceived by Nayib Bukele

He has also put forward new proposals, including constitutional and institutional reforms that involve changes to the organization of the judiciary and the possible presidential reelection if he obtains a qualified majority in Congress, which the country's Constitution currently prohibits.

With a theatrical style and an uninhibited stage presence, his rise to power is also explained by a populist rhetoric inherited from his predecessor—who was known for being irreverent toward the elites. "Because from day one, you trusted me, you believed in me, and you knew how to value my own merits and give me the confidence to be today the president-elect of Costa Rica," Fernández told her mentor in a televised video call after the announcement of the good benefits of your people, it's good in your, it's good in your, it's good in your, it's good in your, good benefit of your, it's going well, your work, your good, your work, your, it benefits, your work, your, your, your, your, it benefits, your work, your, your good, your work, your, it benefits from your hands."

Spearhead of the Bukele model

Costa Rica's next president has openly declared herself an admirer of Nayib Bukele's policies, which have lowered crime rates but also triggered a wave of arbitrary arrests and forced disappearances. Following this line of thought, Fernández argued that once in office, she will enact a state of emergency in high-crime areas to restrict civil liberties. Her party, the Sovereign People's Party, defines itself as "liberal in economic matters and conservative in social matters," and this family-oriented message, reinforced by her own family life (she is married and has a daughter), has helped her gain the support of the country's increasingly powerful evangelical groups. She has also received support among liberal sectors that advocate for free-market economic policies. Her victory is an expression ofa conservative trend that is gaining increasing traction in Latin America And that, driven by security concerns, is also reaching Costa Rica, a country Famous for being one of the most stable and peaceful democracies in America. However, it has recently been engulfed in a wave of violence. Since 2023, it has recorded almost 900 homicides per year, figures 50% higher than before Chaves took office in 2022. In addition to confirming a regional trend toward conservative governments, Fernández's victory poses challenges for the country's institutions. Fernández pledged to reform the judicial system, which Chaves accused of sabotaging his government. Along with his ambition to shape a new institutional order and his intention to change the laws on political reelection, this approach has drawn criticism from some sectors, who accuse him of eroding democracy.