Conservative Laura Fernandez won the Costa Rican presidential election. The popular outgoing President Rodrigo Chaves sponsored her.
Laura Fernández Delgado of the Pueblo Soberano Party (PPSO) captured the win with a resounding first-round victory, eliminating the need for a runoff in a crowded field after Sunday’s election.
The Supreme Electoral Tribunal reported that with votes from 93.7% of polling places tallied, Fernández of the Sovereign People’s Party had 48.3% of the vote. Her closest challenger was economist Álvaro Ramos of the National Liberation Party with 33.4%.
Crime was a major issue in the election.
Fernandez said, “infinite thanks to God for this democratic day,” and described herself as a defender of freedom, of life, and of the family.
She also pledged to pursue what she calls the “Third Republic,” a political vision centered on institutional reform and a direct fight against corruption.
“Costa Rica has voted for the continuity of change, for rescuing our institutions and returning them to the sovereign people,” she said, speaking to supporters gathered in the capital.
She plans to open a Costa Rican CECOT.
