Luz Mary Alpízar Loaiza
Luz Mary Alpízar Loaiza was one of five women among the twenty candidates who contested Costa Rica’s presidential election on February 1, 2026. She ran as the candidate of the Social Democratic Progress Party and entered the race as a non-incumbent with experience in the Legislative Assembly, party leadership, engineering, business administration, and public policy.
Born in San José in 1967, Alpízar grew up in San Antonio de Puriscal in a rural farming family. She has described her childhood as being closely connected to tobacco and coffee fields and has spoken about periods when her household lacked running water. She attended public schools in Puriscal before going on to study at the University of Costa Rica with scholarship support. Her academic training combined technical and managerial fields, including chemical engineering, business administration, marketing, and later political science. Before seeking the presidency, Alpízar served in Costa Rica’s Legislative Assembly from 2022 to 2026, representing San José. She also served as First Prosecretary of the Assembly and was the founder and national president of the Social Democratic Progress Party. Earlier in her political career, she held leadership positions in the New Generation Party and was involved in party training, communications, and women’s initiatives. Outside elected office, her professional background included engineering, business management, entrepreneurship, teaching, consulting, and organizational leadership.
Alpízar earned a licentiate degree in Chemical Engineering and later a master’s degree inBusiness Administration and Management with an emphasis in Marketing from the University of Costa Rica. She also completed additional studies and professional training in areas including political science, negotiation, leadership, human rights, and gender issues.
Alpízar’s presidential campaign emphasized public security and the modernization of state institutions. Alpízar proposed directing more security resources toward communities most affected by violent crime and expanding the use of technology, including artificial intelligence, cameras, drones, and data analysis, to support policing and criminal investigations. She also stressed prevention programs aimed at young people vulnerable to recruitment by criminal groups.
A second major focus of her campaign was education and economic development. She called for stronger STEM and technical education, expanded digital and English-language training, improved school infrastructure, and better connectivity. Her broader economic platform supported entrepreneurship, investment, infrastructure development, public-private partnerships, and greater use of digital technology to make government more efficient and reduce regional inequalities.
