Poll Tracker: Costa Rica's 2026 Presidential Election

Four years ago, when Costa Ricans went to the polls, voters were fretting about economic issues like the cost of living and unemployment. Only 4 percent said security issues amounted to the country’s biggest problem. This year though, security is dominant, with 40 percent of voters naming it the country’s top issue.

Over the past four years, organized crime groups have deepened their presence in Costa Rica, making the country a bigger trafficking point for cocaine. President Rodrigo Chaves (2022-present) has worked to stem the violence with international cooperation efforts, police reforms, and port monitoring. Though the over 800 homicides in 2025 marked the second highest number in Costa Rican history, Chaves’ approval hovers around 60 percent. He cannot seek reelection as consecutive presidential terms are constitutionally barred in Costa Rica.

The front runner in the 2026 race, Laura Fernández of the Sovereign People’s Party (PPSO), is Chaves’ former chief-of-staff and has served in several presidential administrations. She pledges to continue his center-right agenda with a tough-on-crime approach and an emphasis on job creation. Fernández polls near 40 percent, the minimum share of the vote needed to avoid an April 5 runoff.

But she is not the only Chaves administration alum in the race. Álvaro Ramos of the National Liberation Party (PLN), who helmed the social security and pension systems, is also running.

On the center-left, candidates include National Deputy Ariel Robles of the Broad Front (FA) and former First Lady Claudia Dobles of the Citizen Agenda Coalition (CAC). On the far right, evangelical singer Fabricio Alvarado of the New Republic Party (PNR) is making his third presidential bid.

But there’s one big unknown factor: polls indicate as many as half of Costa Ricans remain undecided.