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.”
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.
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.
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.
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 confirms drug contamination of El Salvador coffee shipment occurred on its territory
A container originating from El Salvador and carrying coffee for export was contaminated with more than 1,152 packages of drugs while in transit through Panama, according to official information confirmed by the Panamanian government this Tuesday.
The case, which had previously generated political controversy in April 2025 after opposition sectors attempted to link the Salvadoran government to drug trafficking, has now been clarified through renewed investigations.
Authorities confirmed that the container departed from the port of Acajutla after being properly inspected, with no illicit substances detected at the time of export.
According to statements previously provided by El Salvador’s Minister of Defense, René Merino Monroy, the shipment traveled first to the port of Balboa in Panama, where it remained stored for several days before being transferred to another vessel bound for Manzanillo in Colón.
It was at that terminal that Panamanian authorities discovered the drugs and identified tampering with the container seals, indicating that the illicit alteration occurred during its transit in Panama rather than in Salvadoran territory.
The findings align with earlier explanations provided by Salvadoran officials and confirm that the contamination of the cargo took place outside of El Salvador’s jurisdiction.
Central America
Uber Eats adds Puntarenas and Turrialba to growing Costa Rica network
Uber Eats announced that it is continuing to expand its presence in Costa Rica with the launch of operations in the cities of Puntarenas and Turrialba, further strengthening the company’s growth in the country.
With this expansion, the delivery platform is now available across all seven Costa Rican provinces and works with more than 6,000 partner businesses. Its offerings include prepared food, supermarkets, pharmacies, pet stores, and other specialty retailers.
As part of the announcement, Uber Eats also introduced Marco Nannipieri as its new Regional General Manager for the Andean Region, Central America, and the Caribbean.
Nannipieri will oversee the company’s operations in Costa Rica along with seven other countries in the region.
“Costa Rica is a key market for Uber Eats in the region, with growing adoption of technology among users and businesses. Over the past five years, more than 1,000 restaurants and merchants have joined the app, and today we are entering a new stage of expansion that will allow us to reach more cities outside the Greater Metropolitan Area, creating new opportunities for entrepreneurs across the country,” Nannipieri said.
Central America
Report questions direction of Nasry Asfura after 100 days in office
The Center for the Study of Democracy warned Tuesday that the government of Nasry Asfura, which marks its first 100 days in office on Wednesday, has failed to show a “significant change in direction” and continues to follow a model characterized by exclusion, inequality, and external dependence.
In its report titled “100 Days of the Nasry Asfura Government: Concerns and Demands,” Cespad stated that the administration has maintained an economic and political model that prioritizes debt payments, the promotion of extractive projects, and the strengthening of the security apparatus over social investment.
The organization argued that the current policies have not addressed structural problems affecting large sectors of the Honduran population and warned that inequality and economic dependence remain key challenges for the country.
Nasry Asfura won the general elections held on November 30, 2025, in a process marked by allegations of fraud and delays in the vote count that lasted nearly a month due to a series of technological failures.
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