Costa Rica Rides the Populist Right Wave

October 2025 – Bolivia – the country turns its back on 20 years of Marxism, electing centrist capitalist Rodrigo Paz

November 2025 -Argentina – the party of conservative populist President Javier Milei cruises to victory in mid-term blowout

November 2025 – Chile – the right takes both chambers, and the conservative candidate advances to a run-off for president

December 2025 – Paraguay – signs agreement becoming a Safe Third Country to process asylum claims and stem the flow of migrants to the United States

December 2025 – Chile – Jose Antonio Kast trounces the hand-picked Marxist regime candidate in the presidential run-off 

December 2025 – Honduras – conservative candidate Nasry Asfura wins razor’s edge presidential election

I SENSE A TREND

And so it continued this weekend. It seems many Latin American voters are tired of cartels and crime, and, even in a country known for being relatively stable, when there have been upticks in both, they are now turning to conservatives for answers.

This is what happened in Costa Rica this weekend, when they elected a government minister who pledged to continue and improve on the policies begun by the previous, scandal-plagued, term-limited president.

Costa Ricans elected Laura Fernández, a former government minister who promises to crack down on crime, as president of the Central American country, making her the latest right-wing candidate in Latin America to win office amid concerns about drug-fueled violence.

Fernández, the 39-year-old handpicked candidate of President Rodrigo Chaves, received more than 48% of the votes, enough to avoid a second-round runoff vote. Her four-year term begins in May.

Fernández’s election marks the latest victory for conservatives in Latin America, boosting the number of potential allies for President Trump as he focuses American military and economic might on the region.

Toda América Latina está dando un viraje a la derecha, debido al cansancio con los gobiernos de izquierda y la influencia del gobierno del presidente Trump.
Estos países se están volcando hacia economías de libre mercado y el combate a la delincuencia.
En Costa Rica ganó las… pic.twitter.com/Tp7b67WIjC

— Juan Manuel Ríos P (@jmriosp) February 3, 2026

…All of Latin America is taking a sharp turn to the right, due to exhaustion with left-wing governments and the influence of President Trump’s administration.  These countries are shifting toward free-market economies and a tough stance against crime.  In Costa Rica, a candidate who is completely different from Mexico’s leftist president, Claudia Sheinbaum, won the election last Sunday.  With Venezuela’s government in transition and under pressure from Washington, the Latin American left lacks sufficient financial resources to fund its campaigns.

President-Elect Fernández will have her hands full. Known as a haven for American ex-pats (I have friends who routinely vacation for months at a time there), the country has seen an alarming rise in cartel-fueled violence. The corrosive influence of narcotics money has reached into the government itself. President Rodrigo Chaves has faced allegations and a failed legislative attempt to strip him of immunity over questions about corruption in two scandals: one involving his campaign funds and another concerning Central American Bank for Economic Integration (CABEI) assets.

Not a good look for inspiring confidence.

This is a reputation that, if not checked quickly and mercilessly, will destroy everything they’ve tried to build there.

Costa Rica’s foundational myth of exceptionalism has never been more in question. The country that famously has no armed forces, that has long welcomed refugees from its Central American peers, that marketed itself to the world as a “safe haven” in the wake of the September 11 terrorist attacks, is now questioning its very identity amid a surge of organized crime and political scandals.

Security has been deteriorating for years as Costa Rica became one of the region’s main transshipment points for cocaine and other drugs to the United States and Europe, according to the U.S. government. But this year has seen a series of events that some citizens used to believe only happened in neighboring countries.

In June, former Security Minister Celso Gamboa was arrested on drug trafficking charges and is now facing extradition to the United States. Gamboa, a lawyer who served as a key Cabinet member in 2014 and later worked as a judge from 2016 to 2018, would be among the first Costa Ricans to be extradited under a constitutional reform passed in May, which allows extradition for drug trafficking and terrorism.

Also in June, a retired Nicaraguan army major, Roberto Samcam Ruiz, was assassinated, raising alarms about the country’s ability to protect political exiles. According to the UNCHR, since 2018, 317,000 Nicaraguans have fled their country to Costa Rica seeking international protection—Costa Rica now hosts 55% of all Nicaraguan refugees worldwide.

It seems it has simply become intolerable for most citizens.

…Costa Rica’s struggle with criminal violence in recent years is a cruel irony. The country has long been a model for peace. It was the first nation to abolish its armed forces, a point of national pride in a region marked by political turmoil.

Yet government figures show that the last three years have been some of the most violent in recent Costa Rican history, with 905 homicides in 2023, an all-time record. The government attributes much of the violence to drug trafficking. In January, the US Treasury alleged that the country has become a “key global cocaine transshipment point.”

Fernández had promised, if elected, to work hand in glove with US drug enforcement efforts in the region, which are trying to stem the flow of Colombian cocaine, as well as be tough on crime. She has pledged to build a Bukele-style maximum security prison.

…Fernández said she would implement hard-line measures against gangs that could involve curtailing civil liberties. She said she would build a special prison for gang leaders, an idea she said is inspired by the policies of El Salvador’s president, Nayib Bukele, who opened a massive prison known as Cecot to hold gang members. His hard-line strategies have sharply reduced homicides but raised widespread concerns about rights abuses.

“My hand won’t shake when it comes to making the decisions we need to restore peace in Costa Rican homes,” Fernández said during the campaign.

There are also some interesting social elements. 

The so-called ‘free trade zones’ that were established to bring tourists and commerce into the country have gradually become engines of deepening haves and have-not divides. There are ideological conflicts that sound very familiar growing between a Costa Rica that still is a ‘green’ haven, but which now has a growing chorus of voices calling to utilize the country’s natural resources to benefit the nation.

…Both Díaz and Merino agree that the Costa Rican social pact — built over more than a century — is at stake. Environmental concerns have held a central place in Costa Rica’s identity for years, much like its lack of a standing army, and the country has set ambitious sustainability goals.

But the two political scientists say that even that is changing. The idea of a “green Costa Rica” coexists today with proposals for ending a two-decade-old ban on fossil fuel exploration and exploiting natural resources such as precious metals, gas and oil.

“It’s not just a choice. If something is not done, the deterioration can continue,” said Díaz, “and so far no political party has considered this issue with the seriousness it requires.”

What to do will be a critical choice.

The Western Hemisphere should have the 30+ richest countries in the world. This is a step in that direction.

— RedpenFL (@RedpenFL) February 3, 2026

If Fernández can get the clean-up going on a scale to match what happens when you litter in a Costa Rican mall…

This kid in a Costa Rica’s mall tossed his drink leaving trash and water behind, then walked off like nothing happened.

They later found him and made him clean it up.pic.twitter.com/SjLq9wpgy3

— Massimo (@Rainmaker1973) February 1, 2026

…they are going to be just fine.

However, how the Marxist Left in Latin America is faring… 

…A right-wing candidate is expected to win Peru’s presidential election in April, polls show. Conservatives are also vying for power in elections later this year in Brazil and Colombia, which are ruled by left-wing presidents.

…is another story entirely.

The left is slowly being destroyed in Latin America, love to see it pic.twitter.com/Zg7ydQBFdy

— BowTiedMara (@BowTiedMara) February 2, 2026

Man.

What a time to be alive.

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