Overview
- Polling stations open Sunday as voters choose a president and all 57 members of the Legislative Assembly.
- Laura Fernández, a former minister and chief of staff under Rodrigo Chaves, leads surveys and could surpass the 40% needed to avoid an April 5 runoff, though many voters remain undecided.
- Fernández campaigns on completing a maximum‑security mega‑prison, imposing targeted states of emergency and stiffening sentences to confront organized crime.
- Chaves’s party is favored to gain legislative seats, but analysts and reporting suggest a supermajority remains uncertain, limiting its ability to reshape institutions such as Supreme Court appointments.
- Crime dominates the race as authorities describe Costa Rica’s shift to a cartel logistics hub and homicide rates have climbed sharply in recent years, while opponents warn of risks to judicial independence and civil liberties.