Costa Rica's President Sworn In, Vows Tough Crackdown on Crime
Al Jazeera Staff
Laura Fernandez was sworn in as Costa Rica's president, pledging to fight rising crime while maintaining close ties with the United States. Her party holds an absolute majority in Congress. Outgoing President Rodrigo Chaves remains influential as a dual-minister in her government.
Laura Fernandez was sworn in as president of Costa Rica, pledging to combat rising crime in the Central American nation while maintaining close ties with the United States.
Fernandez defeated several candidates in the February 1 vote to succeed outgoing President Rodrigo Chaves, who remains a close ally of U.S. President Donald Trump.
In an unusual move, Chaves will stay in government as a dual minister overseeing the presidency and finance, ensuring significant influence in the new administration.
To underscore plans for close U.S. ties, Fernandez appointed Second Vice President Douglas Soto as ambassador to Washington.
Kristi Noem, the U.S. special envoy leading the Trump administration's militarized campaign in Latin America called 'Shield of the Americas,' attended Friday's inauguration.
Israeli President Isaac Herzog also attended, aiming to bolster relations with the region amid political fallout from the Gaza war.
Fernandez, 39, has promised a comprehensive overhaul of Costa Rica's judicial system and security laws, along with a tough crackdown on crime. Last week, introducing new Security Minister Gerald Campos, she declared 'a relentless war, a strong hand against organized crime.'
Costa Rica has long been considered one of the most stable countries in Central America, but crime has surged in recent years as it increasingly becomes a transit route for drugs headed to the United States.
Costa Rica is building a maximum-security prison modeled on El Salvador's CECOT counterterrorism center, where hundreds of Venezuelans are being held without trial after being deported from the U.S. early last year.
Like El Salvador, Costa Rica has agreed to accept non-citizens deported by the U.S. under a deal signed in March. Human rights groups condemn these 'third-country agreements,' saying they leave deportees stranded in nations where they have no ties and may face inhumane conditions.
Fernandez's conservative Sovereign People's Party (PPSO) won 31 of 57 seats in the unicameral Congress, giving it an absolute majority as she took office.
