Americas

Costa Rica

Political journey

Costa Rica abolished its army in 1948 after a brief civil war and has been one of Latin America’s steadiest democracies since, with strong social programs and a green image. Drug violence has grown in recent years, and in 2026 Laura Fernández won the presidency promising a tough crackdown on crime.

Costa Rica today

Its current leader’s position on the ten Caucus dimensions.

💰EconomyLeaning free market
State-ledFree market
⚖️Liberty and authorityStrongly authoritarian
LibertarianAuthoritarian
🎭CultureLeaning traditional
ProgressiveTraditional
🌍NationLeaning nationalist
GlobalistNationalist
🌱EnvironmentCentered on environment
Growth-firstNature-first
🤖TechnologyLeaning tech-optimist
Tech-cautiousTech-optimist
🕊️War and peaceLeaning strength-first
Peace-firstStrength-first
🏛️InstitutionsStrongly anti-establishment
Anti-establishmentInstitutional
🙏ReligionLeaning religious
SecularReligious
🛡️InterventionismSlightly non-interventionist
Non-interventionistInterventionist

Who leads Costa Rica today

Portrait of Laura Fernández

Laura Fernández

President of Costa Rica, 2026 to present

A political scientist and former minister under Rodrigo Chaves who won the 2026 election promising continuity and a tough, El Salvador-style crackdown on organized crime.

Laura Fernández sits in the right-authoritarian part of the Caucus economy and liberty compass: leaning free market and strongly authoritarian. The clearest positions are strongly authoritarian on liberty and authority, strongly anti-establishment on institutions and leaning strength-first on war and peace. The profile is close to the middle on environment.

Full profile of Laura Fernández →

Political views closest to Costa Rica’s leadership

Right-wing populismCasts politics as ordinary people against elites, mixing nationalism, tradition and…94%SovereigntismInsists that national institutions, not international bodies, should have the final say.94%PeronismAn Argentine movement blending labor rights, welfare and economic nationalism around a…93%National conservatismPrioritizes national sovereignty, cultural identity, tradition and firm borders.92%

Countries with similar leadership

Ranked by how close their current leaders are on the ten dimensions.

EcuadorAmericas99%MadagascarAfrica & Middle East98%El SalvadorAmericas97%PhilippinesAsia & Oceania96%

Country histories are short summaries. Positions are simplified estimates of the leaders included in Caucus as of October 2026, and percentages show how close two profiles are across all ten dimensions.