Published on Saturday, January 31, 2026
By the A.M. Costa Rica staff

Costa Rica is entering the final days of its presidential campaign as more than 3.7 million registered voters prepare to head to the polls Sunday, Feb. 1, to elect the country’s next president for the 2026–2030 term.

The Supreme Electoral Tribunal, or TSE, formally launched the election process on Oct. 1, opening a race that includes 20 presidential candidates.

Voters will also elect all 57 members of the Legislative Assembly, who will serve four-year terms concurrent with the presidency. Lawmakers are chosen from the country’s seven provinces and nominated by each of the 20 political parties participating in the election.

Costa Rica’s presidential elections are widely known as festive public events. In the days leading up to the vote, supporters of political parties fill the streets and parks, wearing T-shirts, hats, and bandanas in party colors, waving flags and chanting slogans in support of their candidates. Some even dress their pets in party attire.

Polling stations across the country will be open on Sunday from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. at thousands of public schools and high schools.

Voting will also take place abroad for about 63,000 Costa Ricans living outside the country. Overseas ballots may be cast at 49 Costa Rican consulates worldwide. The first polling station will open Saturday at 4 p.m. at Costa Rica’s embassy in Canberra, Australia.

 

The TSE said voters can check their assigned polling locations by sending a text message to 1020 or by calling the 10-digit hotline at 800-353-2867. The same phone line has also been activated for reporting suspected errors or irregularities in the electoral process.

Voters are required to appear in person at their assigned polling station among more than 7,000 nationwide. To vote, individuals must be either Costa Rican by birth or naturalized and present a valid, unexpired ID.

To accommodate voters who need to renew or replace their ID cards, the National Registry in downtown San José and its offices throughout the country will remain open all weekend, including Election Day, from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m.

More than 100 international observers will monitor the elections in different regions of the country. The observers represent member states of the Inter-American Union of Electoral Bodies, or UNIORE, which includes electoral authorities from more than 20 countries.

A legally mandated blackout period for paid political advertising took effect Wednesday, Jan. 28. During this period, political parties are prohibited from purchasing advertising in print, radio, television and online media.

Candidates, however, are still permitted to participate in debates, interviews and opinion programs, and to distribute informational materials about their parties.

Costa Rica’s Constitution requires a presidential candidate to receive more than 40% of the vote to win outright. If no candidate meets that threshold, a runoff election will be held on the first Sunday of April between the two candidates who received the most votes.

In the event of a second round, the same electoral roll will be used, with no changes to the number of eligible voters. According to the TSE, every presidential election since 2014 has gone to a runoff.

The most recent voter-intention poll, released Jan. 27 by the Center for Research and Political Studies at the University of Costa Rica, shows Laura Fernández leading the race with 43.8% support among respondents.

Fernández, 39, is the candidate of the Sovereign People’s Party, or PPSO, a center-right political party founded in 2025 that supports continuing the policies of President Rodrigo Chaves’ administration.

She previously served as minister of National Planning and Economic Policy from 2022 to 2025 and as minister of the Presidency from 2024 to 2025, both appointments made by Chaves.

The same poll found that about 26% of respondents remain undecided, a factor that could significantly alter the outcome in favor of any of the remaining 19 candidates.

Álvaro Ramos of the National Liberation Party, or PLN, ranked second in the survey with 9.2% support. The PLN is a center-left democratic party.

Ramos Chaves, 42, is a computer scientist, economist and professor. He has served as deputy finance minister, superintendent of pensions, a technical expert for the International Labour Organization, and executive president of the Costa Rican Social Security Fund, a position to which he was also appointed by President Chaves.

The Jan. 27 survey was the final poll released ahead of the election. Costa Rican law prohibits the publication of voter-intention new polls during the final three days before Election Day, including the day of the vote.

Former first lady Claudia Dobles-Camargo announced her presidential candidacy in July 2025 for the Citizen Agenda Coalition Party. Recent polls, however, show her campaign trailing behind front-runners Fernández and Ramos.

The TSE, an independent public institution, oversees all presidential elections and national referendums in Costa Rica.

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