Polls Open in Costa Rica as Centre-Right Populists Seek To Extend Mandate
Voting runs from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Feb. 1 as Laura Fernández seeks an outright win with more than 40% and control of the 57-seat legislature.
NewsmaxCosta Ricans Vote on Outgoing President's Conservative Populist Program
Al JazeeraPolls open in Costa Rica as centre-right populists aim to extend mandate
The GuardianCosta Rica heads to polls amid fears of authoritarian turn
Al JazeeraA vote for continuity? What to know for Costa Rica’s presidential election
Overview
Voting stations opened at 6 a.m. local time on Feb. 1 and will remain open until 6 p.m., with early trends expected within hours, according to electoral authorities.
Laura Fernández, former minister of the presidency and protege of President Rodrigo Chaves, polls above 40% and could win outright, according to a Jan. 28 CIEP poll.
The contest is dominated by security concerns after violence surged, with preliminary 2025 government figures reporting 873 homicides and a homicide rate of 16.7 per 100,000, analysts said.
President Rodrigo Chaves has sought to shape the race and Fernández has pledged to include him in her government, a move critics including Eugenia Aguirre of the University of Costa Rica called "an authoritarian move," while Fernández’s supporters say it ensures policy continuity.
Some 3.7 million Costa Ricans are eligible to vote for president and 57 National Assembly seats, and Fernández has urged voters to grant her party 40 seats to pursue constitutional reforms, a supermajority Luis Antonio Sobrado warned could enable sweeping changes.
Analysis
Center-leaning sources frame the election as a referendum on conservative-populist Rodrigo Chaves’ confrontational, institution‑attacking approach versus a return to establishment politics. They use evaluative terms (e.g., “self‑serving,” “relentlessly criticized”), foreground critical experts about constitutional change, emphasize crime concerns, and give limited space to robust pro‑Chaves defenses.