- In 2025, presidential elections were held in 4 countries in Latin America, won by right-wing or conservative candidates
- February's presidential elections in Costa Rica to be followed by other regional countries, including Brazil, Colombia, Haiti, Peru
ISTANBUL
In less than a year, voters across Latin America have elected five right-wing or conservative leaders, reflecting a rapidly consolidating political shift driven by concerns over crime and economy.
Since April 2025, voters in Ecuador, Bolivia, Honduras, Chile, and finally Costa Rica have voted to elect right-wing leaders. Also in 2025, Argentina held a midterm election that boosted the far right president's party.
This was another marker of Latin America’s accelerating move toward right-wing leadership.
After Costa Rica's Feb. 1 elections, several other Latin American countries — among them Brazil, Colombia, Haiti, and Peru — are also scheduled to hold presidential elections this year.
Costa Rica
In a presidential election on Sunday, Costa Rica's conservative Laura Fernandez Delgado of the ruling Sovereign People’s Party (PPSO) won the country’s presidential election.
Fernandez Delgado had a strong lead of over 48%, comfortably above the 40% threshold required to secure a first-round victory.
She had campaigned on crime‑fighting and continuity of outgoing conservative President Rodrigo Chaves’ agenda.
"Changes will be deep and irreversible," Fernandez said in her victory speech, stating that Costa Rica was entering a new political chapter.
The country's Second Republic, in place since the 1948 civil war, is now "a thing of the past," she added.
Chile
On Dec. 14, voters in Chile also handed a decisive win to far-right candidate Jose Antonio Kast, signaling the country’s sharpest turn to the right since the end of Augusto Pinochet’s military dictatorship over three decades ago.
Kast won with 58.17% of the vote, while his leftist opponent, Communist Party member and former Labor Minister Jara, got 41.83%.
Kast, an ultraconservative lawyer and former legislator, campaigned on a hardline law-and-order platform, calling for an “iron fist” to restore public security.
A devout Catholic, he is known for his opposition to abortion and same-sex marriage and has openly expressed admiration for former military ruler Pinochet.
Security concerns dominated the election, overtaking economic concerns, health care, and education as voters’ top priority, according to opinion polls.
The US congratulated Trump-inspired Kast on his victory.
"Under his leadership, we are confident Chile will advance shared priorities to include strengthening public security, ending illegal immigration, and revitalizing our commercial relationship," the Department of State said in a statement.
Honduras
Honduras held general elections on Nov. 30 amid delays caused by technical problems, security concerns, and allegations of irregularities.
Final results confirmed a narrow victory for conservative candidate Nasry Asfura, who won 40.3% of the vote, edging out center-right rival Salvador Nasralla.
Backed by the US, Asfura has said he is prepared to govern following the tight result.
He said his agenda would focus on curbing public spending, shrinking the state, and boosting infrastructure investment to draw in foreign capital.
Asfura also indicated he wants to deepen ties with the US and Israel, while reviewing Honduras’ diplomatic relationship with China, including the possibility of re-establishing relations with Taiwan.
Argentina
On Oct. 26, Argentina's far-right President Javier Milei steered his party to a landslide win in the nation's midterm elections, capturing 40.8% of the national vote.
With the outcome, the governing party significantly boosted its representation in Congress, though the Senate remained under the opposition's control.
US President Donald Trump congratulated Milei on his election victory, praising his performance in office.
“He is doing a wonderful job! Our confidence in him was justified by the people of Argentina,” said Trump.
Trump had earlier backed Milei’s candidacy and warned that US aid to Argentina could be cut if the opposition won.
Bolivia
On Oct. 19, center-right Senator Rodrigo Paz Pereira won the presidential runoff in Bolivia, ending the long dominance of the leftist Movimiento al Socialismo party.
Paz won the runoff with 54.53% of the vote, defeating former conservative President Jorge “Tuto” Quiroga, who received 45.43%.
The vote brought nearly two decades of leftist rule to a close, as Bolivians chose between two candidates rooted in pro-market politics.
The result marked a significant turning point for the Andean nation after the long-dominant Movement Toward Socialism (MAS) party was eliminated in the first round.
Ecuador
Ecuador's President Daniel Noboa secured a second term on April 13, strengthening his hold on power.
The right-wing candidate received with 55.92% of the vote, defeating leftist challenger Luisa Gonzalez, who secured 44.08%.
“This victory has been historic, a victory of more than a million votes where there is no doubt who the winner is,” Noboa said in his first remarks after the result was confirmed.
Born in Miami in 1987, he is the son of Alvaro Noboa, one of the richest men in the country.
His campaign focused heavily on Ecuador’s worsening security situation, advancing a law-and-order agenda and vowing to crack down on drug trafficking and organized crime.
The Feb. 1 election in Costa Rica is expected to be followed by Peru on April 12, Colombia on May 31, Haiti on Aug. 30, and by Brazil on Oct. 4. Whether the same trend will be visible in these elections remains to be seen.
