Central America

Himself accused, Costa Rica’s president vows to tackle sex harassment

AFP

Costa Rica’s new president Rodrigo Chaves, elected despite a cloud of sexual harassment allegations, took the oath of office Sunday with promises to revive the economy and end the abuse of women in his country.

As feminist organizations protested nearby, the right-wing economist said the “first political commitment” of his four-year term would be to stamp out gender discrimination and harassment.

“We will not tolerate the harassment they (women) suffer every day and in all areas of society,” he told congress after being sworn in to lead one of Latin America’s most stable democracies.

“It cannot be that our women are afraid to walk alone on the street, feel afraid in their own home, at work, in a park, at a concert.”

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Chaves, 60, was investigated over sexual harassment complaints brought by women while he was a senior official at the World Bank, where he worked for 30 years.

He was demoted over the claims, and later resigned.

Last month, Chaves offered “sincere apologies” to two accusers, young subordinates, having previously said the alleged harassment amounted to mere “jokes” that were “misinterpreted due to cultural differences.”

– ‘We will be vigilant’ –

Dozens of women protested Sunday near the seat of congress against gender violence and unequal pay in a country where abortion is allowed only if the woman’s life is in danger.

“We are telling the country and the president-elect that we are here. That we will be vigilant,” Sharo Rosales of the Women in Action movement told local media.

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Chaves takes over an economy in decline, with rising foreign debt — about 70 percent of GDP — a poverty rate of 23 percent, unemployment of nearly 14 percent, and public sector corruption.

Vowing to “repair the country,” he said: “We will not just clean house. We will rebuild it!”

Tourism, one of the country’s main economic drivers, was hard hit by the coronavirus pandemic, and the country of 5.2 million people experienced an increase in unemployment equaled in the region only by Peru.

“If the political class fails once more, our country could fall apart,” Chaves said.

He has previously vowed to improve the terms of an agreement Costa Rica’s reached with the IMF for a loan of more than $1.7 billion.

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The economist, who served six months as finance minister in the outgoing government, won a runoff election over former president Jose Maria Figueres — himself tainted by a corruption scandal.

Chaves had been a surprise qualifier for the April 3 final race, having polled fourth ahead of February’s first round.

This week, Chaves said his government would not ratify the so-called Escazu Agreement that establishes protection for environmentalists, arguing it was unnecessary and would harm the economy.

Costa Rica, a regional leader in environmental protection, had hosted the signing of the agreement in 2018.

Chaves did not address environmental issues in his first public speech.

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Shortly after his inaugural address, Chaves signed his first decrees, including scrapping obligatory mask-wearing for people other than front-line health workers, and compulsory coronavirus vaccination for the public sector.

Spanish King Felipe VI attended the ceremony at Congress in San Jose, along with other heads of state or government and delegations from nearly 100 countries.

Central America

Panama Will Not Be Threatened, President Says Amid Rising Tensions With China

Panamanian President José Raúl Mulino warned on Thursday that his country “will not allow itself to be threatened,” while expressing hope that tensions with China will ease following the cancellation of a contract allowing a Hong Kong-based company to operate ports along the Panama Canal.

Earlier this week, China, through its Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office, said Panama would pay “a high price” for annulling the concession that has allowed a subsidiary of CK Hutchison Holdings to manage two ports on the interoceanic waterway since 1997.

The decision has angered Beijing, which, according to Bloomberg, has urged its state-owned companies to suspend negotiations on new projects with the Central American country.

“Panama is a dignified country and will not allow itself to be threatened by any nation on Earth,” Mulino said during a press conference when asked about China’s warnings.

However, the president added that he hopes the situation will not escalate. “I hope this does not spiral further; there is no reason for it to do so,” he said.

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The ruling by Panama’s Supreme Court came amid pressure from U.S. President Donald Trump, who has threatened to reclaim the Panama Canal—built by the United States—arguing that it is “under Beijing’s control.”

China’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian warned on Wednesday that Beijing “will firmly defend the legitimate and lawful rights and interests of Chinese companies.”

Central America

Bukele’s Approval Rating Climbs to 91.9% in El Salvador, Survey Shows

Approval of Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele reached 91.9% at the end of 2025, up from 85.2% recorded in midyear, according to a survey conducted by the research unit of La Prensa Gráfica (LPG Datos) and published on Thursday.

According to the newspaper, the high approval rating is “mainly driven by improvements in security.” Of those surveyed, 62.8% said they “strongly approve” of Bukele’s performance, while 29.1% said they “somewhat approve.”

The main reasons cited for approving the president were the perception that security in the country has improved (33%), followed by the belief that the government has delivered changes and overall improvements (14.3%), and the view that Bukele has done a good job in general (11%), the report said.

Meanwhile, 5.9% of respondents said they disapprove of Bukele’s administration. Among them, 25.4% said that improvements have been limited solely to security, 5.6% cited a lack of transparency, and 2.8% pointed to arbitrary detentions.

“The approval of President Nayib Bukele stands at one of the highest levels since the start of his administration,” La Prensa Gráfica noted. According to the survey’s historical data, Bukele’s peak popularity was recorded in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic, when his annual average approval reached 92.5%, a figure even higher than that seen during the state of emergency.

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Regarding campaign promises, 64.2% of Salvadorans believe that Bukele “is fulfilling the promises he made,” while 22.9% say he has “partially fulfilled” them, and 6.6% say he has “not fulfilled his commitments.”

When asked about the main “failure” of the president’s administration, 37% said there were none, while 10% pointed to the economy.

Central America

Laura Fernández Says She Will ‘Never’ Allow Authoritarianism in Costa Rica

Costa Rica’s president-elect, right-wing leader Laura Fernández, said she will “never” allow authoritarianism under her government, in her first speech after winning Sunday’s presidential election.

Fernández, the political heir of outgoing President Rodrigo Chaves, has been accused by her opponents of seeking to steer the country toward authoritarian rule through her hardline proposals against drug trafficking and plans to reform state institutions.

“I, as the new president of the Republic, will never allow authoritarianism or arbitrariness—things that no one wants in Costa Rica,” Fernández said to cheers from her supporters gathered at a hotel in the capital.

The 39-year-old political scientist criticized her rivals for centering their campaign on what she described as a narrative of “authoritarianism and dictatorship.”

“They tried to scare voters, but the electorate did not fall into the trap,” she said.

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Without offering details, Fernández acknowledged that her administration will seek to change the country’s “political rules of the game,” in what she described as a necessary step for Costa Rica, one of Latin America’s most stable democracies.