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Lawmakers Question Chaves’ Move to Appoint President-Elect Fernández as Minister

Lawmakers from multiple parties have raised concerns over President Rodrigo Chaves’ recent appointment of president-elect Laura Fernández as Minister of the Presidency. The decision, announced this week, places Fernández in a key cabinet role for the final three months of Chaves’ term, sparking debate about its purpose and legality. Chaves made the announcement during a press conference at Casa Presidencial on February 4, 2026. He described the move as a step to ensure a smooth handover of power. Fernández, who served as Chaves’ Minister of National Planning and Economic Policy before becoming his Minister of the Presidency, won the presidential election on February 1 with roughly 48 percent of the vote. Her victory avoided a runoff and positioned her to take office on May 8. The appointment comes amid Fernández’s promises to build on Chaves’ policies, focusing on security and economic reforms. Chaves, barred from seeking re-election under the constitution, has openly supported her c...
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The University of Sydney in Australia invites applications for vacant 13 Postdoctoral Positions

The University of Sydney in Australia invites application for vacant Postdoctoral Positions, an Australian public research university in
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Costa Rica Seeks Independent Check on Protected Forest

Costa Rica’s Ombudsman’s Office has raised doubts about a report from the Ministry of Environment and Energy ( MINAE ) on the boundaries of forested lands next to the Gandoca-Manzanillo National Wildlife Refuge in Limón province. The office, acting as an intervener in the case, asked the Constitutional Chamber (Sala IV) to require an independent review of the report before deciding if MINAE has met a court order from March 2025. That order came from ruling 2019-12745 under file 14-019174-0007-CO, which required MINAE to set clear limits for the refuge. In its analysis, the Ombudsman’s Office pointed out that MINAE based its findings on forest cover from 2025. This method might accept earlier damage to the environment as the starting point, instead of using data from before a 2014 law that was later ruled unconstitutional. Such an approach could go against key rules in Costa Rica’s constitution, including the protection of forests from reduction, the ban on weakening environmental saf...
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Latin American Governments Violate Human Rights Under Cover of Trump Policies

Far from curbing Donald Trump’s assault on the global human rights system, several Latin American governments are using the U.S. president’s policies as an excuse to commit abuses, the NGO Human Rights Watch ( HRW ) warned Wednesday. “With the United States undermining the global human rights system, who will stand up in its defense?” HRW Executive Director Philippe Bolopion asked in the introduction to the organization’s 2026 World Report, which will be presented in Mexico City and Washington. So far, the answer is not coming from Latin America, the report suggests. “Different countries in the region are using both Trump’s policies and his rhetoric as an excuse to commit abuses” against nationals and foreigners, Juanita Goebertus, director of HRW’s Americas Division, told AFP. As an example, the report notes that El Salvador received 252 Venezuelans deported from the United States and detained them at the Terrorism Confinement Center (Cecot). At that mega-prison , inaugurated in 202...
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American University in Dubai invites applications for vacant (16) Administrative and Faculty Positions

American University in Dubai invites applications for vacant Administrative and Faculty Positions, a private for-profit university in Dubai,
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Cold Fronts Shape Early February Weather in Costa Rica

Two cold fronts will mark the beginning of February in Costa Rica, maintaining windy conditions, rainfall, and low temperatures. At the same time, the National Meteorological Institute (IMN) forecasts a month with above-average rainfall in some regions of the country. Costa Rica is currently under the influence of cold front No. 13, which arrived on Saturday. “The cold front will continue to influence weather conditions, with a gradual decrease beginning on Wednesday,” the IMN reported. Winds will remain strong, ranging between 70 and 100 km/h in northern Guanacaste during these days. According to experts, this is because the cold front system has reached southern Central America, and cold conditions will persist in the country, intensifying through Wednesday and Thursday. “Cold front No. 14 will begin to modulate weather conditions starting Thursday afternoon and will extend into the weekend,” the IMN stated. Due to this surge, strong winds are expected in the Central Valley, Guana...
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Voter Turnout Rises in Costa Rica as Abstention Drops

Sunday’s election day brings good news for all of Costa Rica: voter abstention decreased. This means that more people decided to participate in these elections compared to previous years. According to data reported by the Supreme Electoral Tribunal (TSE), voter participation in Sunday’s elections reached 70%, while abstention stood at 30%, with 85.4% of polling stations counted. These figures contrast with the 2022 election, when participation reached only 60% of the population and 40% chose not to go to the polls. In other words, abstention in this election dropped by 10%. In 1953, the electoral roll consisted of just 294,000 people. That year, 96,000 voters chose not to vote, raising abstention to 32.8%. In the 1958 elections, 35.3% of the electorate also stayed away from the polls. After that, the percentage declined and remained below or very close to 20% between 1958 and the 1994 elections. However, starting that year, abstention began to rise again, reaching 30%, a level it has...
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