"For decades, Costa Rica was held up as Central America’s democratic exception: a country without an army, with strong democratic institutions and a press able to scrutinize those in power without facing systematic retaliation.
That reputation is now being tested as Costa Rica heads into presidential elections that will culminate in a first round on Feb. 1 and could extend to a runoff in April. The race is widely seen as a test of whether the country will correct course and reaffirm its democratic identity or deepen recent trends of populist governance and institutional weakening.
[...]
Press freedom advocates warn that the convergence of growing insecurity, sustained political hostility toward the press, and weakening institutional protections is narrowing the space for journalism in Costa Rica itself, while also undermining its role as a regional haven."
