DEVELOPING STORYDEVELOPING STORY, Right-wing candidate’s closest challenger concedes defeat as partial results showed her on verge of winning the presidency.By News AgenciesPublished On 2 Feb 20262 Feb 2026Click here to share on social mediashare2ShareRight-wing candidate Laura Fernandez has declared victory in Costa Rica’s presidential election after preliminary results gave her a commanding lead and her closest challenger conceded defeat.The move early on Monday came after Supreme Electoral Tribunal said that votes tallied from 81 percent of polling stations showed the candidate of the Sovereign People’s Party winning 48.9 percent of the vote.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemsend of listIn her victory speech, Fernandez vowed to lead a nation that is “respectful and firm on the rule of law”.“Any law that is ineffective, that has become obsolete, that has become a hindrance to development, will be modified or repealed,” she added, according to La Nacion newspaper.Fernandez’s closest challenger was economist Alvaro Ramos of the National Liberation Party with 33 percent.Ramos conceded on Sunday night and pledged to lead a “constructive opposition,” but one that would not let those in power get away with anything.“In democracy dissent is allowed, criticizing is allowed,” he said.Fernandez needed at least 40 percent to win the election outright and avoid a run-off on April 5. The 39-year-old politician is the handpicked successor of incumbent President Rodrigo Chaves, and campaigned on continuing his tough security policies.Al Jazeera’s Julia Galiano, reporting from capital San Jose, said that the main issue during the campaign was security, with homicides reaching an all-time high in 2023.“Without a doubt, the increasing insecurity was the main issue for everyone that we spoke to here. Costa Rica has long been considered as the Switzerland of Central America. It’s a nation known for its long history of a stable democracy,” she said. Advertisement Fernandez’s tough line on security has prompted worry among the opposition, Galiano said.“They fear the changes that her government will do will ultimately erode the democratic nature of this country. But in her victory speech, she did say that above all, she would remain democratic and that her government would never turn authoritarian,” our correspondent added.Fernandez was previously Chaves’s minister of national planning and economic policy and, more recently, his minister of the presidency.Costa Ricans also voted for the 57-seat National Assembly. Chaves’ party is expected to make gains, but perhaps not achieve the supermajority he and Fernandez have called for, which would allow their party to choose Supreme Court magistrates, for example.Some 3.7 million Costa Ricans were eligible to vote in Sunday’s elections. …
