Rodrigo Chaves Robles

Rule Changes

Outgoing president; expected in Fernández cabinet, possibly chief of staff

Costa Rica abolished its army in 1949 and built Latin America's most stable democracy on neutrality and social investment. On February 1, 2026, voters elected Laura Fernández Delgado of the Pueblo Soberano Party (PPSO) as president with 48.3%, exceeding the 40% threshold to win outright. Her party won 31 of 57 legislative seats, enough for simple-majority reforms amid drug cartel violence that has tripled homicides since 2019[1][2][3].

Updated May 27