Laura Fernández, a rightwing populist, has won Costa Rica's presidential election in a landslide. She promises to fight the rising violence linked to the cocaine trade. With 94% of the votes counted, Fernández secured 48.3%, while her closest rival Álvaro Ramos got 33.4%, avoiding a runoff. Fernández is the political heir of outgoing president Rodrigo Chaves. Her Sovereign People’s party celebrated across the country waving Costa Rican flags. Fernández, 39, thanked Chaves via video link and promised to continue economic growth and progress. Costa Rica, home to 5.2 million, has recently seen a rise in violence as drug cartels turned the country into a transit and logistics hub. The murder rate jumped 50% in six years to 17 per 100,000 people. She is inspired by Salvadoran president Nayib Bukele, who jailed thousands of suspected gang members without charges. Bukele was the first foreign leader to congratulate her. Fernández’s win reflects a conservative wave in Latin America. Chaves, who chose Fernández to serve as his planning minister, expressed confidence she will avoid dictatorship or communism. Costa Rican voters also chose members for the 57-seat Legislative Assembly. Some fear Fernández might try to change the constitution to allow Chaves to return as president, though she insists on protecting Costa Rica’s democracy. Nobel laureate Óscar Arias warned this could threaten democracy. Fernández plans to complete a maximum-security prison inspired by Bukele’s model and increase penalties for criminals. She also wants to impose states of emergency in crime-hit areas to control the violence and drug-related gang wars.