Costa Rica’s new President Rodrigo Chaves was sworn in on May 8, promising to fight corruption and revive the economy.
The former World Bank economist won a four-year term last month in a runoff with former President Jose María Figueres, himself tainted by a corruption scandal.
The party of Chaves’ predecessor Carlos Alvarado was almost obliterated during the first-round election in February, receiving no seats in the new Legislative Assembly.
Chaves’ Social Democratic Progressive Party has only 10 of 57 seats in the legislature and he turned out to be a surprise qualifier for the runoff, having come fourth in the first round.
Costa Rica is a country in Central America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the northeast, Panama to the southeast, the Pacific Ocean to the southwest, and maritime border with Ecuador to the south of Cocos Island. The capital is San Jose and currency is Costa Rican colón (CRC).