Rodrigo Chaves Robles facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Rodrigo Chaves Robles
|
|
|---|---|
.jpg)
Official portrait, 2022
|
|
| 49th President of Costa Rica | |
| Assumed office 8 May 2022 |
|
| Vice President | Stephan Brunner Mary Munive |
| Preceded by | Carlos Alvarado Quesada |
| Minister of Finance | |
| In office 30 October 2019 – 28 May 2020 |
|
| President | Carlos Alvarado Quesada |
| Preceded by | Rocío Aguilar Montoya |
| Succeeded by | Elián Villegas Valverde |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Rodrigo Alberto de Jesús Chaves Robles
10 June 1961 San José, Costa Rica |
| Political party | PPSD (2020–present) |
| Spouses |
Monika Hempel Nanne
(m. 1986; div. 1996)Signe Zeicate
(m. 2015) |
| Children | 1 |
| Alma mater | University of Costa Rica (no degree) Ohio State University (BS, MA, PhD) |
Rodrigo Alberto de Jesús Chaves Robles (born June 10, 1961) is a Costa Rican economist and politician. He became the 49th President of Costa Rica in 2022. Before becoming president, he served as the country's Minister of Finance.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Rodrigo Chaves Robles was born in San José, the capital city of Costa Rica. He studied agricultural economics at Ohio State University in the United States, where he earned his bachelor's, master's, and Ph.D. degrees.
Before he finished his studies, he received a special fellowship from Harvard University. This allowed him to do research on poverty in Indonesia. After earning his doctorate, he began working for the World Bank, an international organization that provides loans to countries for different projects.
Career at the World Bank
Chaves worked at the World Bank for many years. He was the country director for Indonesia and also worked with countries in the Americas, Europe, and Asia.
In 2019, he decided to retire from the World Bank and return to Costa Rica to work in the government. Later, it was reported that his departure from the bank was related to an internal investigation into claims of misconduct. The World Bank found that Chaves had made inappropriate comments to female employees between 2008 and 2013. Chaves has denied these accusations.
Minister of Finance
In October 2019, President Carlos Alvarado Quesada appointed Chaves as Costa Rica's new Minister of Finance. As minister, Chaves was in charge of the country's money. His main goals were to make sure people and companies paid their taxes, fight tax evasion (illegally avoiding taxes), and control government spending.
In 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, Chaves suggested a special tax on higher salaries to help people who had lost their jobs. However, President Alvarado did not agree with the idea, and it was not put into action.
Chaves resigned from his position as minister in May 2020 after a disagreement with the president over a law related to government spending.
The 2022 Presidential Election
In July 2021, Rodrigo Chaves announced he was running for president of Costa Rica. His political party is the Social Democratic Progress Party.
Campaign Promises
During his campaign, Chaves promised to fight corruption in the government. He also wanted to lower the cost of living by taking taxes off basic foods, lowering the price of rice and electricity, and helping farmers.
He supported education in both Spanish and English and wanted to encourage more students to study science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM). Chaves also said he did not support making the COVID-19 vaccine mandatory.
Election Results
The election took place on February 6, 2022. Since no candidate won enough votes to become president, a second round of voting was held on April 3. Chaves faced former president José María Figueres Olsen.
Chaves won the second round and became the new president. In his victory speech, he said he accepted the win with humility and asked Figueres to work with him to help the country.
Campaign Funding Investigation
During his presidential campaign, questions were raised about how it was funded. Costa Rican law says that all campaign money must go through the political party's official bank accounts. There was an investigation into whether Chaves's campaign used a private fund, which might not be allowed. In June 2025, the Attorney General's Office accused Chaves and others of illegal campaign financing.
Presidency (2022–present)
Chaves took office on May 8, 2022. In his first speech as president, he said that "the fear of God is the basis of a ruler's wisdom."
National State of Emergency
Shortly after Chaves became president, Costa Rica was hit by a major cyberattack. Hackers used ransomware (a type of computer virus) to attack government systems, which caused problems with tax collection and other services. In response, President Chaves declared a national state of emergency to deal with the crisis. The U.S. government offered a $10 million reward for information about the group responsible for the attack.
COVID-19 Policies
One of President Chaves's first actions was to remove the rule that required people to wear masks in public. He also issued an order telling government offices not to punish employees who were not vaccinated against COVID-19.
Environmental Policies
President Chaves has shown less focus on environmental issues. He chose not to approve the Escazú Agreement, an international treaty that protects environmental rights. He also expressed interest in allowing more mining and oil exploration in the country.
His government also gave permission for logging in the Gandoca-Manzanillo Wildlife Refuge, a protected area. This decision was controversial because it went against previous court rulings.
"Jaguar Law" Controversy
Chaves proposed a new law called the "Jaguar Law," which aimed to change how the government oversees public spending. The law would reduce the power of the Comptroller General's Office, which checks government contracts for problems before money is spent.
Critics, including the Comptroller General, argued that this could make it easier for corruption to happen. They worried it would weaken the systems that ensure public money is used correctly.
Clashes with the Media
Throughout his presidency, Chaves has had frequent disagreements with major news outlets in Costa Rica. He has accused them of being biased against him. His government changed how it spends money on advertising, spreading it among many smaller media companies instead of just a few large ones.
His administration also ordered the temporary closure of an event venue owned by a major newspaper's parent company, citing safety issues. Critics claimed this was an attempt to silence the press, but the government said it was a necessary safety measure.
Honours
Panama:
Collar of the Order of Manuel Amador Guerrero (23 August 2024)
Ukraine:
First Class of the Order of Prince Yaroslav the Wise (23 August 2024)
See also
In Spanish: Rodrigo Chaves para niños
