On February 2nd, right-wing candidate Laura Fernandez declared victory in Costa Rica’s presidential election after preliminary results gave her a commanding lead and her closest challenger conceded defeat.
The move came after the Supreme Electoral Tribunal declared that votes tallied from 81% of polling stations showed the candidate of the Sovereign People’s Party winning 48.9% of the vote.
In her victory speech, Fernandez promised “deep and irreversible change” and announced that Costa Rica was entering a new political era.
Any law that is ineffective, that has become obsolete or a hindrance to development will be modified or repealed.
Costa Ricans also voted for the 57-seat National Assembly on Sunday. Fernandez’s party is projected to win a majority of 30 seats in Congress, up from its current eight seats.
