Laura Fernández, President Rodrigo Chaves’ former chief-of-staff, is polling high enough to potentially avoid a runoff. Ticos vote on February 1.

Laura Fernández, running to continue President Rodrigo Chaves’ agenda, may win in the first round of a February 1 election marked by insecurity woes.

From tariff turbulence to a capture in Caracas, Trump 2.0 sharpened Washington's focus on the region. What were major 2025 events? What’s on the horizon?