Laura Fernández was sworn in as president of Costa Rica, becoming the second woman to lead the Central American country and promising continuity with the political movement built by outgoing president Rodrigo Chaves.
Fernández, a political scientist, took office in San José with Chaves remaining at the centre of the incoming administration. She appointed him both minister of the presidency and finance minister, giving her predecessor two of the government’s most consequential posts. The minister of the presidency is responsible in part for managing relations between the executive and the Legislative Assembly.
The arrangement was unprecedented in Costa Rican politics, according to the supplied reporting, and positioned Chaves to retain considerable influence over the new government. It also extended his legal immunity for another four years while investigations involving alleged corruption and electoral conduct remained active. The existence of those investigations did not establish wrongdoing, and two previous attempts by lawmakers to remove his immunity had failed.
The first effort, in September 2025, concerned allegations that Chaves pressured public officials to favour a former adviser. A second attempt followed in December after the Supreme Electoral Tribunal sought an inquiry into alleged improper political intervention during the election campaign. Chaves’s continued cabinet status shielded him while those matters remained unresolved.
Fernández presented her administration as a seamless continuation of the project associated with Chaves. Retaining him in dual roles gave institutional form to that promise, but also raised questions about how authority would be divided between the new head of state and her predecessor. The appointments reflected a broader pattern in which their political movement had tested established democratic conventions.
The new government also signalled that relations with Washington would be a priority. Fernández named her second vice president, Douglas Soto, as ambassador to the United States, creating an unusually direct link between the administration’s senior ranks and the diplomatic post.
Kristi Noem attended the inauguration as the representative of US President Donald Trump. She was serving as a special envoy to a Trump-announced coalition focused on regional crime. Noem had met Chaves in March to complete an arrangement under which Costa Rica would receive up to 25 people deported from the United States each week.
The inauguration completed Costa Rica’s constitutional transfer of presidential power while preserving striking continuity at the top of government. Fernández formally succeeded Chaves, yet her cabinet choices ensured that he would continue shaping fiscal policy, legislative coordination and the administration’s political direction.
That structure made the transition both conventional and unusual: the presidency changed hands through an inauguration, but the outgoing leader moved directly into two high-profile posts with protections and influence extending into the new four-year term.
