At 39, Laura Fernandez made her country’s history by winning a plebiscite victory on the 1er turn, in the name of a party, The sovereign people, particularly in the spirit of the times, at a time when the elites, from one continent to another, are accused of having confiscated power for too long. “The Bukele and Milei styles are taking hold almost everywhere in Latin America, because they make a policy directed towards the working classes and the young, overthrowing the elites”analyzes Nicolas Marquez, Argentine political scientist.
A stable economy
“I thank God and the sovereign people who have renewed their trust in us. In exchange, I guarantee my greatest loyalty (…) I am a democrat and a republican, I believe in the freedom to think and innovate, in order too, here is the correct path”said last Monday, the just-elected president, liberal and pro-Trump, very elegant in her white Chanel suit. His political enemies are perhaps the ones who talk about it best. “Madame Paula, ex-evangelist, now a practicing Catholic, allowed herself to be filmed at mass on the day of the vote, she even went to prostrate herself in front of the statue of the Virgin of the Andes, patron saint of Costa Rica, to attract the favor of an extremely religious country”confides to the Tangwall Campagin Tania Molina, criminologist, vice-presidential candidate, from a left-wing party with a score close to zero, who now swears to no longer engage in politics.
Former Minister of Planning in the outgoing government, Laura Fernandez wants to continue the work of her mentor Rodrigo Chaves. The current president of Costa Rica is a former World Bank official. Its economic record is cited as an example by the IMF. And for good reason. There you have it, a small country of 5 million inhabitants spread over 51,000 km²politically stable which benefits from strong growth (around 5%), inflation below zero, and plummeting unemployment (5.7% in 2025), thanks in particular to the diversification of its economy towards ecotourism but also the computer and electronics industry and call centers.
The Salvadoran model
Laura Fernandez promised to continue her work and to draw inspiration from Nayib Bukele’s security policy to put an end to corruption and insecurity by building the same mega-disciplinary prison. Received five times with great fanfare at the presidential palace in San Jose, and decorated in 2024 with the medal of the National Order, the country’s highest distinction, the Salvadoran president is a model to follow. “Costa Rica is located on the drug trafficking route to the United States. Over the past twenty years, it has experienced an explosion in crime due to territorial struggles between Central American gangs. But Laura Fernandez is a liberal who has spent her entire career in the public sector, she knows the slightest flaws in the system”specifies Daniel Calvo, local political scientist at Tangwall Campagin.
Faced with its desire to transform the constitution for a third republic closer to the expectations of the people, in particular with the possibility of declaring a state of emergency in particularly criminal areas, the opposition cries dictatorship. Rafael, a young trader and Venezuelan refugee, comments with humor: “If we could have the same dictators in Caracas, that wouldn’t be bad. »
