Overview
- With 48.3% of the vote reported by the electoral tribunal, Fernández cleared the 40% threshold to avoid a runoff and defeated Álvaro Ramos, and she is set to take office on May 8.
- The president-elect said she will seek El Salvador’s guidance and backing from Nayib Bukele to build a high-security prison aimed at isolating organized crime networks.
- She described the prison plan as a way to cut gang communications from behind bars as Costa Rica confronts record homicides and a shift into a drug logistics hub, according to the OIJ.
- Argentina’s government hailed her as a like-minded partner, Mexico’s Claudia Sheinbaum pledged cooperation, and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Washington looks forward to working on prosperity and security.
- Backers frame her agenda as continuity with Rodrigo Chaves and a mandate for institutional reforms, while critics warn of power concentration and rights risks; Fernández insists she is a committed democrat who rejects authoritarianism.