Laura Fernández, a conservative, has won Costa Rica’s presidential election.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio congratulated Fernández, stating that under her leadership “Costa Rica will continue to advance shared priorities to include combatting narco-trafficking, ending illegal immigration to the United States, promoting cybersecurity and secure telecommunications, and strengthening economic ties.”
“The United States looks forward to working closely with President-Elect Laura Fernández Delgado’s administration to deepen our enduring partnership and promote shared prosperity in our hemisphere,” Rubio added.
According to the Associated Press, the Supreme Electoral Tribunal reported that Fernández of the Sovereign People’s Party had 48.3% of the vote after tallying 96.8% votes. Álvaro Ramos of the National Liberation Party had 33.4% of the vote.
In her victory speech, Fernández noted that change will be “deep and irreversible.” She later vowed to “fight tirelessly” to ensure the country “continues on the path of economic growth, freedom, and above all, the progress of our people.”
Conservative victories have also occurred in Honduras, Chile, and Ecuador. President Trump endorsed Honduran President Nasry Asfura, calling him the “only real friend of Freedom in Honduras” last year.
Similarly, Rubio celebrated Chilean President José Antonio Kast’s victory, stating, “The United States congratulates President-Elect José Antonio Kast of Chile on his electoral victory. Under his leadership, we are confident Chile will advance shared priorities to include strengthening public security, ending illegal immigration, and revitalizing our commercial relationship.”
“The United States looks forward to working closely with his administration to deepen our partnership and promote shared prosperity in our hemisphere,” he added.
