Category: Blog

The president-elect of Costa Rica, the right-wing Laura Fernández, announced on Monday an ambitious plan to reform the state, which her critics say points to a concentration of power similar to that of Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele. With 48% of the vote, Fernández won Sunday’s election in the first round and managed to quadruple the …

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Sunday’s election day brings good news for all of Costa Rica: voter abstention decreased. This means that more people decided to participate in these elections compared to previous years. According to data reported by the Supreme Electoral Tribunal (TSE), voter participation in Sunday’s elections reached 70%, while abstention stood at 30%, with 85.4% of polling …

Read more “Voter Turnout Rises in Costa Rica as Abstention Drops”

Laura Fernández won Costa Rica’s presidential election in the first round today, after early official results showed her clearing the 40% threshold required to avoid a runoff, according to the Tribunal Supremo de Elecciones. With most polling places reporting late Sunday, Fernández led by a wide margin over economist Álvaro Ramos, who conceded on election …

Read more “Laura Fernandez wins Costa Rica Presidency in the First Round”

Carlos Alcaraz turned the tables on Novak Djokovic in a gripping four-set battle at the Australian Open final on Sunday, securing a 2-6, 6-2, 6-3, 7-5 victory that handed the young Spaniard his maiden title at the tournament and etched his name into tennis history. The 22-year-old world number one overcame an early setback to …

Read more “Alcaraz Beats Djokovic in Thrilling Australian Open Final”

Voters across the country headed to polling stations today to select the next president and reshape the Legislative Assembly. The election drew 3.7 million eligible participants who chose among 20 candidates for the top office, along with deputies for the 57-seat congress. Laura Fernández of the Sovereign People’s Party led the pack as the day …

Read more “Costa Ricans Cast Ballots in Pivotal Presidential Election”

Residents of South Florida are seeing something unusual this week: iguanas dropping from trees during an intense cold snap. Videos and photos have spread quickly on social media, often jokingly described as “raining iguanas.” The explanation, though, is straightforward biology mixed with uncommon weather. South Florida is going through one of its coldest stretches in …

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After two hundred or so articles mostly focused on wildlife for the Tico Times, I’ve written about most of the more well-known species that are walking, swimming, and flying around in Costa Rica. Every time I pick a species to write about, I get to go through my video archives and pick out the very …

Read more “Puma Sits for the Camera on a Pacific Cliff in Rare Costa Rica Footage”

Thousands of inmates across Costa Rica cast their ballots on Sunday, February 1, during the presidential and legislative elections, as authorities set up polling stations inside prisons to uphold their right to vote. This setup, in place since the late 1990s, highlights the country’s emphasis on broad suffrage, even amid a campaign dominated by debates …

Read more “Costa Rica Upholds Inmate Voting Tradition in Crime-Focused 2026 Presidential Race”

Costa Ricans elect a president this Sunday, with ruling-party candidate Laura Fernández the clear favorite, buoyed by promises of a tough crackdown on crime that her rivals say would push the country toward authoritarianism. About 3.7 million citizens are being called to the polls to choose a president and lawmakers for four years in a …

Read more “Costa Rica election 2026 hinges on security, prisons, and Chaves legacy”

Citizens formed long queues at the Supreme Electoral Tribunal (TSE) offices across our country in the days leading up to the national elections. People waited to collect or renew their cédulas de identidad, the required document for voting. At the central office in San José, lines stretched hundreds of meters, with some waits exceeding two …

Read more “Crowds Rush to TSE for Voter IDs Before Costa Rica’s 2026 Elections”