The president of Costa Rica, Rodrigo Chaves, will be the Minister of the Presidency and Finance of the incoming Government, announced on Tuesday, May 5, 2026, the president-elect, Laura Fernández, who will begin her administration on Friday, May 8.
Fernández presented his cabinet, in which he announced the continuity of numerous figures in the Chaves Administration, including the president, who will exercise two ministries: Presidency and Finance, and who will also be the coordinator of the Government’s economic sector.
The president-elect praised Chaves’ work and the “love for Costa Rica” that unites them and thanked him for having agreed to join her “great work team.”
It is the first time in the country’s recent history that an outgoing president takes a position as minister of the next administration, just as it was unprecedented that Fernández agreed to resume her position as minister of the Presidency after winning the elections on February 1.
Continuity of Chavismo
Laura Fernández, who won the elections with the right-wing conservative Partido Pueblo Soberano, will provide continuity to key figures of the Chaves Government in the positions of ministers of Foreign Affairs, Security, Education and Public Works and Transportation, as well as in strategic institutions such as social security, electricity and the National Emergency Commission.
In an event held at the Melico Salazar Popular Theater in San José, Fernández presented Manuel Tovar, current Minister of Foreign Trade, as Chancellor, and announced Gerald Campos, who currently serves as Minister of Justice and Peace, as Minister of Security.
The president-elect said that each appointment has been the result of “a deeply thought-out, meditated and analyzed decision” and that these people have “the capacity, sensitivity and commitment to transform their position into a real tool to improve the lives of Costa Ricans.”
Fernández described his future mandate as “the Government of continuity” that aims to “deepen that legacy of (the outgoing president) Don Rodrigo (Chaves) that will take us even further.”
“We are the team that does not let up and the one that will continue to push,” said the president-elect, who stated that she felt “blessed” to “serve with honor, transparency and human sensitivity.”
Other appointments
Fernández also announced that the second vice president, Douglas Soto, will be Costa Rica’s ambassador to the United States.
As part of the continuity of the Government of Rodrigo Chaves (2022-2026), Fernández will maintain Paula Bogantes (Science, Technology, Innovation and Telecommunications), Efraín Zeledón (Public Works and Transportation), Leonardo Sánchez (Education), Yorleni León (Human Development and Social Inclusion), Arnold Zamora (Communication) and Jorge Rodríguez (Culture and Youth) in their positions as ministers.
Presidents of institutions such as Marco Acuña at the Costa Rican Institute of Electricity will also continue; Alejandro Picado in the National Emergency Commission and Mónica Taylor in the Costa Rican Social Security Fund, among others.
