Sawt Falasteen - Costa Rica's new leader vows 'firm land' against drug gangs

Fernandez, 39, succeeded her mentor Rodrigo Chaves, who survived two impeachment attempts by Congress over corruption allegations.

She easily won February 1 elections on a promise to crack down on crime in a country long considered one of the safest in the Americas.

Dressed in a cream blazer dress, she took the oath of office before large crowds of flag-waving supporters in the National Stadium of San Jose, Costa Rica's capital.

"A firm hand is what you expect," she said. "My hand will not tremble when confronting organized crime."

Fernandez, who served as a minister of the presidency under Chaves, was groomed to become his successor. He was barred by the constitution from seeking a second consecutive term but remains popular among voters.

Fernandez has appointed him as a super-minister in her so-called "government of continuity," fuelling suspicion that he will be calling the shots in her administration.

Costa Rica, a country of 5.2 million people famous for its white-sand beaches, has long been seen as an oasis of stability and democracy in Central America.

But in recent years, it has developed into a logistical hub in the regional drug trade, fueling local turf wars that have caused the murder rate to soar.

"I want to walk down the street without fearing a shootout," Nancy Gutierrez, a 50-year-old housewife, told AFP.

Fernandez has vowed to overhaul what she portrays as an overly permissive judiciary.

"The reform we need is profound, and we are going to push for it," she said, announcing plans to toughen prison sentences.

- The Bukele model -

Fernandez cites iron-fisted Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele, who has locked up thousands of suspected gang members without charges, as an inspiration on how to reduce crime.

Costa Rica is currently building a maximum-security prison modeled on El Salvador's brutal mega-prison for suspected gang members.

Like Chaves, she is also an ally of US President Donald Trump.

Her election marked another win for the Latin American right, which has unseated a host of left-wing administrations in recent months, including in Chile, Bolivia and Honduras.

"We are experiencing signs of authoritarianism, and the wind has shifted to the right, but institutions are still strong," political scientist Constantino Urcuyo told AFP.

"The Bukele model has no place in Costa Rica," he said.

S.AbuJamous--SF-PST