General elections were held in Costa Rica on 1 February 2026 to elect the president, two vice-presidents, and all 57 deputies of the Legislative Assembly.

Laura Fernández, the candidate of the Sovereign People's Party (PPSO), won the presidential election with 48.53% of the votes, defeating Álvaro Ramos Chaves of the National Liberation Party (PLN) and 18 other candidates in the first round. This exceeded the threshold of 40% required to win the election in a single round. She is the second woman to be elected president of Costa Rica.

The PPSO also won a majority of the seats in the Legislative Assembly (the first time since 1990 that a single party had done so): 31, against the PLN's 17. The Broad Front (FA) won seven, with the two remaining seats going to the Citizen Agenda Coalition (CAC) and the Social Christian Unity Party (PUSC), the latter of which obtained its worst electoral result since its foundation in 1983.

The victory of businessman Rodrigo Chaves in the 2022 general election caused a major political shift, as he was a candidate outside the traditional parties and opposed to the classic institutional system. Despite good macroeconomic indicators during his administration, especially due to economic growth and record exports, the reduction in unemployment and poverty, and the fall in inflation, Chaves maintained tensions with the other branches of the state, especially the Supreme Electoral Court (TSE). On 7 September 2025, the TSE asked the Legislative Assembly to lift Chaves' immunity so that he could be prosecuted for fifteen complaints received for political belligerence, that is, for using his position to favour a party in the elections. In December 2025 the Legislative Assembly rejected removing Chaves' immunity. He also faced corruption accusations by the Supreme Court.

At the same time, Costa Rica experienced an unprecedented increase in violence associated with drug trafficking and organised crime, which damaged the country's historical image as a peaceful democracy. This deterioration in security became the main concern for citizens and dominated public debate. In 2024, the Costa Rican Constitution was amended to allow for the extradition of drug traffickers and domestic terrorists wanted by foreign authorities.

Chaves maintained a historic approval rating, although between October 2025 and January 2026 it fell from 63% to 58% and obtained a 28% disapproval rating, 8 points higher, according to the Centre for Political Research and Studies (CIEP) at the University of Costa Rica. He was ineligible to run in 2026, as the constitution limits the consecutive re-election of presidents, who are eligible to run for office eight years after the end of their term.

The president of Costa Rica is elected using a modified two-round system in which a candidate must receive at least 40% of the vote to win in the first round; if no candidate wins in the first round, a runoff is held between the two candidates with most votes. Each presidential candidate shares the ballot with two vice-presidential candidates.

The 57 members of the Legislative Assembly of Costa Rica are elected using a closed list voting system with proportional representation through the largest remainder method from seven multi-member constituencies which are based on the seven provinces, allocated seats based on population (in this election the constituencies varied between five and 18 seats). Overseas voters may cast ballots in the presidential election, but not for members of the Legislative Assembly.