Laura Fernández was sworn in Friday as president of Costa Rica, opening a new political era with a promise to take a hard line against organized crime, drug trafficking and what she described as weaknesses inside the country’s institutions.
The 39-year-old political scientist took office during a large ceremony at the National Stadium in San José, becoming the second woman to lead Costa Rica. Her four-year term begins after a comfortable February 1 election victory powered by the popularity of outgoing President Rodrigo Chaves, her political mentor and the central figure in what the new government calls a continuity project.
Fernández used her first speech as president to put security at the center of her administration. Costa Rica, long seen as one of the safest and most stable countries in the Americas, has faced rising violence tied to drug trafficking networks using the country as a transit and logistics point.
“A hard-line response, because that is what you expect,” Fernández said. “My hand will not shake in confronting organized crime.” She said it was unacceptable that drug trafficking had found “cracks” in Costa Rica’s democratic system and promised new security laws, tougher prison rules and deeper changes to public institutions.
One of her clearest promises was the construction of a high-security prison inspired by El Salvador’s controversial mega-prison model. Fernández has repeatedly praised Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele’s crime strategy, though she also said her government would respect human rights and Costa Rica’s democratic order.
“But that will be useless if judges keep releasing dangerous criminals,” she said, echoing Chaves’ frequent criticism of the judiciary. Fernández also announced reforms aimed at toughening sentences and ending prison benefits that reduce time served. One early measure would make a prison year equal to 12 full months, instead of the reduced calculation currently used in some cases.
“No more coddling,” she said. Her security agenda begins at a tense moment. Costa Rica has recorded historic homicide levels in recent years, while drug trafficking cases have increasingly touched public life. The extradition of former Supreme Court judge and former security minister Celso Gamboa to the United States earlier this year sharpened concerns about the reach of criminal networks inside state institutions.
Fernández will not govern alone. Chaves, who left the presidency Friday, remains inside the new administration as minister of the presidency and finance minister, an unusually powerful combination that places him at the center of the government’s political and economic agenda.
The arrangement gives Fernández the face of formal authority while keeping Chaves close to the levers of power. Critics say the setup risks concentrating power around a former president who has clashed repeatedly with the press, the judiciary and opposition lawmakers. Supporters argue it gives the new government experience, discipline and continuity.
Fernández’s party also enters government with 31 of the 57 seats in the Legislative Assembly, giving her a working majority for ordinary legislation. That advantage could allow her to move quickly on security, economic and institutional reforms during her first months in office.
“The reform we need is deep, and we are going to push it forward,” Fernández said. The new president said her review of state institutions would not amount to an attack on the separation of powers. “We are going to review our institutions. That will never mean attacking the separation of powers. I would never do that,” she said.
Still, the political backdrop is uneasy. Chaves leaves office with strong public support but also under investigation in corruption-related cases, which he denies. His new ministerial posts preserve his political influence and legal immunity. His confrontational style reshaped Costa Rican politics and helped propel Fernández into office.
Internationally, the inauguration reflected Costa Rica’s closer alignment with Washington. U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau led the U.S. delegation, and U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem also attended. King Felipe VI of Spain and several Latin American leaders were among the foreign guests.
Fernández, like Chaves, has supported stronger ties with the United States under President Donald Trump. Costa Rica has agreed to receive up to 25 third-country deportees per week from the United States, while also joining regional security efforts backed by Washington.
The new administration takes office as Costa Rica faces a complicated mix of falling poverty, deep inequality, rising security fears, strained institutions and growing concern over press freedom. The National Institute of Statistics and Censuses reported that household poverty fell to 15.2% in 2025, but the benefits of the country’s economic recovery remain uneven.
Fernández, the daughter of farmers, describes herself as economically liberal and socially conservative. She has said she prefers to be called “presidente,” using the masculine form of the title in Spanish.
Her first day in office made clear that her government will move fast and govern from the right. The central question now is how far Fernández and Chaves will go in reshaping Costa Rica’s institutions, and how much resistance they will meet from the courts, civil society, the press and the opposition.
