Wikipedia

Claudia Dobles Camargo

Claudia Vanessa Dobles Camargo (born 19 November 1980) is a Costa Rican architect, urban planner and politician who has served as a deputy in the Legislative Assembly since 2026. A member of the Citizens' Action Party, she previously served as the First Lady of Costa Rica from 2018 to 2022.[1]

Claudia Dobles Camargo
Official portrait, 2026
Deputy of the Legislative Assembly of Costa Rica
Incumbent
Assumed Office
1 May 2026
Preceded byGloria Navas Montero
ConstituencySan José (17th Office)
First Lady of Costa Rica
In role
8 May 2018 – 8 May 2022
PresidentCarlos Alvarado Quesada
Preceded byMercedes Peñas Domingo
Succeeded bySigne Zeikate
Personal details
BornClaudia Vanessa Dobles Camargo
(1980-11-19) 19 November 1980 (age 45)
Ciudad Quesada, Costa Rica
PartyCitizens' Action
Spouse
​
​
(m. 2010)​
Children1
EducationUniversity of Costa Rica (BS)
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MSc)
Occupation
  • Architect
  • urban planner
  • politician
  • businesswoman

Dobles was also a candidate in the 2026 presidential election. She is the first person from San Carlos to have served as first lady of Costa Rica.[1]

Early life

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Dobles was born on 19 November 1980, in Ciudad Quesada, San Carlos to Carlos Tobías Dobles Ramírez and María Claudia Camargo García.[1] Her father is Costa Rican, while her mother had moved to the country from Mexico.[1] She attended kindergarten in Mexico, but completed her elementary studies in San José, Costa Rica. For high school, Dobles attended private school [1] She met her future husband, Carlos Alvarado Quesada, on the bus that both took to school.[1]

Prominent roles

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Dobles played a prominent role in her husband's 2018 presidential campaign.[1] In addition to her role as the candidate's wife, Dobles was seen as a key advisor to both Alvarado and the campaign staff.[1]

Dobles is also advising the Costa Rican government on its environmental economic plan to completely replace the nation's use of fossil fuels with renewable energy sources.[2]

Political positions

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Dobles has supported policy proposals related to secular governance, social inclusion, and institutional modernization.[3][4] Her positions include endorsing constitutional reforms to establish a fully secular State by removing the formal religious designation currently present in Costa Rica's legal framework.[5]

She has also supported initiatives centered on equality and non-discrimination, including the reinstatement of the official observance of the International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia, and Biphobia on 17 May;[6] the restoration of an interinstitutional Presidential Commissioner for LGBTIQ+ Affairs;[7] and the establishment of formal cooperation mechanisms between public institutions and civil-society organizations that work on issues of sexual and gender diversity.[8]

Her policy positions further encompass the implementation of inclusive educational frameworks, expanded access to sexual and reproductive health services, the application of existing technical norms related to therapeutic abortion, and the availability of contraception programs for adolescents, migrants, and other vulnerable groups.[9][10] She has advocated for the institutional mainstreaming of gender and intersectionality across public agencies, along with broader efforts to modernize State structures, improve access to health services, enhance social protections, and support women and other at-risk populations.[11]

Among her stated priorities should she become president were security and coordination with the Legislature and Judiciary to solve urgent matters.[12]

Controversies

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Electric passenger train project

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During the Alvarado administration, Dobles was one of the most visible promoters of the proposed electric passenger train for the greater Metropolitan area.[13] The initiative sparked broad public debate over its financial and technical feasibility. The Comptroller General issued several technical observations, noting insufficient pre-investment studies, inconsistent interinstitutional coordination, and the need to update demand and fiscal analyses before continuing with the plan.[14]

Opposition parties in the Legislative Assembly also questioned the project's viability and signaled that the international loans required for its financing were unlikely to be approved.[15] Despite this, the government continued to support the initiative and declared it to be of public interest.

Use of public resources

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Dobles' office operated with a team of approximately ten advisers paid with public funds,[16] with monthly salaries ranging widely according to role and seniority.[17] This structure was questioned by some legislators, who argued that the First Lady did not hold administrative responsibilities that justified a staff of that size.[17]

Punta Islita helicopter trip

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In August 2020, President Alvarado and Dobles[18] traveled with their family to a hotel in Guanacaste by private helicopter. The trip took place during COVID-19 restrictions and at a time when the hotel was not operating for the general public, which generated criticism.[19] Initial government statements indicated that the couple had covered all expenses; subsequent information clarified that the flight costs had been shared between the President and a government minister who helped arrange the trip.[20]

Opposition lawmakers criticized the handling of the situation and questioned the transparency of the explanations provided.[21]

The Public Prosecutor's Office opened an investigation to determine whether the trip constituted illicit enrichment for the presidential couple.[18] The case was dismissed in 2022 after authorities concluded that all lodging, food, and transportation expenses had been covered with personal funds and that no criminal offense occurred.[22]

​Public image and opinion

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​Following her tenure as First Lady and her subsequent entry into electoral politics with the Coalición Agenda Ciudadana (CAC), Dobles's public image faced high disapproval ratings across both digital platforms and quantitative polls. ​In early 2026, a digital analytics study titled "Radiografía de la Comunicación digital del Proceso Político – Electoral" by the Universidad Latina de Costa Rica revealed that Dobles was among the political figures with the highest volume of unfavorable online interactions, with 78% of social media comments directed at her being negative.[23] In February of the same year, during a tour of the Limón province to discuss local infrastructure projects, a section of the attendees interrupted her events with chants of disapproval. The then-elected lawmaker downplayed the incident, framing it as a normal part of democratic dynamics.[24]

​Subsequently, in May 2026, a public opinion poll conducted by OPol Consultores confirmed this trend of public dissatisfaction. The study placed Dobles as the political figure with the highest net disapproval rating in the country, registering a net negative balance of -49.1% regarding her image and political management.[25]

References

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  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "La sancarleña que en un mes será la Primera Dama del país". San Carlos Digital. 2 April 2018. Archived from the original on 24 November 2018. Retrieved 24 November 2018.
  2. ↑ Sengupta, Somini; Villegas, Alexander; Tobin, Celia Talbot (12 March 2019). "Tiny Costa Rica Has a Green New Deal, Too. It Matters for the Whole Planet". Retrieved 12 March 2019 – via NYTimes.com.
  3. ↑ Apú, Adalie Aguirre (31 October 2025). "CLAUDIA DOBLES PRESENTA SU PLAN DE GOBIERNO". canal1cr (in Spanish). Retrieved 27 November 2025.
  4. ↑ "Claudia Dobles presentó plan de gobierno con 635 propuestas • Semanario Universidad" (in Spanish). 31 October 2025. Retrieved 27 November 2025.
  5. ↑ "Programa de Gobierno 2025" (PDF). Claudia Dobles - Agenda Ciudadana. Agenda Ciudadana. 2025. p. 121.
  6. ↑ Angulo, Yamileth (4 November 2025). "Claudia Dobles revive agenda LGTBIQ+ del PAC en su plan de gobierno". El Mundo CR (in Spanish). Retrieved 28 November 2025.
  7. ↑ Arrieta, Esteban (5 November 2025). "Claudia Dobles reviviría agenda LGTBIQ+ del PAC en gobierno del 2026". Periodico La República. Retrieved 28 November 2025.
  8. ↑ "Programa de Gobierno 2025–2030" (PDF). Coalición Agenda Ciudadana. pp. 66–67. Retrieved 27 November 2025.
  9. ↑ "Programa de Gobierno 2025–2030" (PDF). Coalición Agenda Ciudadana. Agenda Ciudadana. 2025. pp. 68–69. Retrieved 27 November 2025.
  10. ↑ Condega, Xavier (31 October 2025). "Claudia Dobles presenta el plan de gobierno "más completo y participativo" con 635 propuestas en seis ejes". El Mundo CR (in Spanish). Retrieved 27 November 2025.
  11. ↑ "Programa de Gobierno 2025–2030" (PDF). Coalición Agenda Ciudadana. Agenda Ciudadana. 2025. pp. 69–72. Retrieved 27 November 2025.
  12. ↑ "Elecciones Costa Rica 2026: los planes de gobierno y el perfil de los candidatos a la presidencia y diputados". La Nación (in Spanish). Retrieved 16 January 2026.
  13. ↑ "Despacho de Primera Dama da instrucciones a varios ministerios sobre qué publicar del Tren Eléctrico". ameliarueda.com. Retrieved 27 November 2025.
  14. ↑ "Incofer no validó estudios sobre tren eléctrico y beneficios están sobredimensionados, dice experto". ameliarueda.com. Retrieved 27 November 2025.
  15. ↑ "Contraloría suma a dudas a proyecto de tren eléctrico que impulsa el Gobierno • Semanario Universidad" (in Spanish). 27 September 2021. Retrieved 27 November 2025.
  16. ↑ "Gobierno paga más de ₡7 millones al mes a 10 asesores de Primera Dama". Teletica (in European Spanish). 24 July 2020. Retrieved 27 November 2025.
  17. 1 2 Ruiz, Paula (24 July 2020). "Primera Dama tiene 10 asesores que le cuestan al Gobierno ¢7 millones (sin incluir pluses salariales)". El Observador CR (in European Spanish). Archived from the original on 14 January 2025. Retrieved 27 November 2025.
  18. 1 2 "Fiscalía incluye a Primera Dama en investigación sobre viaje a hotel del presidente Alvarado". ameliarueda.com. Retrieved 27 November 2025.
  19. ↑ Carvajal, Erick (11 August 2020). "Ministerio Público abre investigación por viaje del Presidente y de la Primera Dama". CR Hoy (in Spanish). Retrieved 27 November 2025.
  20. ↑ Ramírez, Alexánder (11 August 2020). "Diputados cuestionan contradicciones en viaje presidencial". CR Hoy (in Spanish). Retrieved 27 November 2025.
  21. ↑ Carvajal, Erick (11 August 2020). "Ministerio Público abre investigación por viaje del Presidente y de la Primera Dama". CR Hoy (in Spanish). Retrieved 27 November 2025.
  22. ↑ Bravo, Josué (17 February 2022). "Fiscalía desestima causa contra Carlos Alvarado por viaje en helicóptero a Punta Islita". La Nación (in Spanish). Retrieved 27 November 2025.
  23. ↑ Hidalgo, Kristin (15 January 2026). "8 de cada 10 comentarios en redes sobre candidatos presidenciales son negativos, según estudio de escucha digital". Amelia Rueda. Retrieved 8 June 2026.
  24. ↑ Romero, Fernanda (22 February 2026). "Claudia Dobles recibió muestras de rechazo durante gira por Limón". Radio Monumental. Retrieved 8 June 2026.
  25. ↑ Muñoz, Mauricio (6 May 2026). "ENCUESTA: José María Villalta y Claudia Dobles inician gestión con fuerte rechazo popular". El Mundo CR. Retrieved 8 June 2026.
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