Overview
- President-elect Laura Fernández named outgoing leader Rodrigo Chaves minister of the presidency and finance, with the picks unveiled Tuesday at an event in San José.
- By entering the cabinet, Chaves keeps immunity from prosecution, which had protected him during ongoing probes into alleged illegal campaign financing and corruption.
- The minister of the presidency oversees the Intelligence and Security Directorate, a domestic spy agency opponents have accused of political espionage, a charge the government denies.
- Opposition figures called the move a power play that shields Chaves, and any push to lift his immunity now needs a supermajority in a legislature where the ruling party holds more votes.
- Fernández ran on extending Chaves’ agenda, including accepting 25 U.S. third-country deportees per week and pursuing hard-line anti-crime policies aligned with Washington’s regional effort.