SAN JOSE — Laura Fernández was sworn in Friday as president of Costa Rica at a ceremony in San Jose. Fernández, a 39-year-old political scientist, becomes the second woman to lead the country.

Fernández defeated a crowded field in the February 1 vote to replace outgoing president Rodrigo Chaves. Her right-wing Sovereign People's Party won 31 of 57 seats in the single-chamber legislature, giving it an absolute majority as she took office.

Fernández appointed Chaves to serve as minister of the presidency and minister of finance in her administration. One of the primary responsibilities of Costa Rica's minister of the presidency is to mediate between the executive branch and the Legislative Assembly. The move to keep Chaves in the administration has no precedent in Costa Rican politics, and the appointments grant him four additional years of legal immunity shielding him from investigations into alleged corruption led by the Public Prosecutor's Office and the Supreme Electoral Tribunal.

In September 2025, legislators unsuccessfully sought to strip Chaves of immunity over allegations he pressured officials to favor a former adviser. In December, the Supreme Electoral Tribunal sought an inquiry into his alleged political belligerence during the electoral campaign.

Fernández promised a seamless continuation of the political movement established by Chaves. She also vowed to fight rising crime, to maintain close ties with the United States, and to pursue reforms to the country's judiciary and security laws alongside a broad crackdown on organized crime. "A war without quarter, a heavy-handed war against organised crime," Fernández said.

Costa Rica is building a maximum security prison modeled on El Salvador's anti-terrorism CECOT center, which held hundreds of Venezuelans without trial after deportation from the United States early last year. Under an agreement signed in March, Costa Rica has agreed to accept non-citizens deported from the U.S.

Fernández appointed her second vice president, Douglas Soto, as ambassador to Washington. Kristi Noem represented the Trump administration at the inauguration. Israeli President Isaac Herzog also attended the ceremony in San Jose.