Feminist analysis: anti-gender agenda dominates Costa Rica's 2026 elections.
2026 January 29
Ahead of Costa Rica's February 2026 general elections, a feminist analysis published by Ojalá examines how conservative and right-wing political forces have systematically attacked gender-based violence prevention and trans rights during the Chaves administration.
The analysis documents how an alliance between the Chaves government and neo-Pentecostal parties and churches led to the elimination of secular sex and relationship education, the undermining of institutions addressing gender-based violence, and the restriction of medical abortion access.
The authors warn that "increasingly brutal violence against feminized people" has become the norm, with this agenda supported by people in power. Conservative sectors promote "fixed gender norms" where "cis women and LGBTQIA+ people are portrayed as objects to be dominated."
Leading presidential candidate Laura Fernández stated publicly that "abortion is, quite simply, murder", reflecting the broader rightward shift on gender issues in Costa Rican politics.