‘Continuity of change’ or a test of resilience for the rule of law?
On 15 August 2026, Laura Fernández’s government will have been in office for 100 days. In terms of policy, programme and communication, it is largely continuing the populist course set under Rodrigo Chaves. With its absolute majority in parliament, it has significantly greater scope for action than the previous government. At the same time, tensions between the executive, the judiciary and independent oversight bodies have intensified. Conflicts over the appointment of members to the Constitutional Chamber, attacks on court rulings, and proposed reforms in the areas of security and the judiciary are fuelling fears that the checks and balances of the rule of law may be undermined. Whether the government can implement its reform agenda without damaging the institutional foundations of Costa Rican democracy is one of the key questions of its term in office.
