Laura Fernández Delgado declared victory in the Costa Rican presidential election on Sunday after preliminary results showed her Sovereign People’s Party leading the national vote with just over 48% support.

The National Liberation Party followed in second place with approximately 33% of the vote, according to the latest official tally from Costa Rica’s Supreme Electoral Tribunal, which oversees and certifies national elections.

"Change will be deep and irreversible," Fernández said at her victory party in San Jose, according to a translation of her remarks from Reuters.

A former government minister, she is the handpicked successor of outgoing President Rodrigo Chaves, who is constitutionally prohibited from seeking re-election.

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Fernández, 39, is set to become Costa Rica’s second female president, after Laura Chinchilla, who served from 2010 to 2014.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Monday congratulated Fernández on her victory in Costa Rica’s presidential election, emphasizing the United States’ commitment to working closely with her incoming administration.

"Under her leadership, we are confident Costa Rica will continue to advance shared priorities to include combatting narco-trafficking, ending illegal immigration to the United States, promoting cybersecurity and secure telecommunications, and strengthening economic ties," Rubio said.

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Reuters reported that Fernández, who is married and has a young daughter, has built her political profile around conservative Catholic values and a strong emphasis on family, helping her gain traction among Costa Rica’s expanding evangelical electorate.

She has publicly expressed admiration for Nayib Bukele, the president of El Salvador, and his tough stance on crime, signaling openness to enhanced security measures in violence-prone areas.

Fernández has also said she would complete construction of a maximum-security prison modeled on El Salvador’s CECOT facility as part of a broader strategy to address serious crime.

The president-elect is scheduled to be sworn in on May 8.

Fox News' Emma Bussey contributed to this report.

The Federal Aviation Administration warned pilots of U.S. airlines about flying over the eastern Pacific Ocean near Mexico, Central America and parts of South America, citing possible "military activities" and satellite navigation interference. 

The warning was issued Friday in a series of Notices to Airmen (NOTAMs) distributed by the FAA, which said, "Potential risks exist for aircraft at all altitudes, including during overflight and the arrival and departure phases of flight." 

"The FAA issued flight advisory Notices to Airmen (NOTAMs) for specified areas of Mexico, Central American, Panama, Bogata, Guayaquil, and Mazatlán Oceanic Flight Regions, and in airspace within the eastern Pacific Ocean," the agency also told USA Today. 

It’s unclear what prompted the advisories, which tell aircraft operators to "exercise caution." Fox News Digital has reached out to the FAA for comment.

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The notices come after months of U.S. military strikes against suspected drug-trafficking boats in the Caribbean Sea and the eastern Pacific. 

In November, the FAA had warned all pilots to exercise caution when flying in the airspace over Venezuela "due to the worsening security situation and heightened military activity." 

In December, a JetBlue flight from the Caribbean nation of Curaçao halted its ascent to avoid colliding with a U.S. Air Force refueling tanker.

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Earlier this month, the Trump administration carried out a military operation capturing Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores. 

President Donald Trump also recently told Fox News that the U.S. will expand operations against drug cartels.  

"We've knocked out 97% of the drugs coming in by water, and we are going to start now hitting land," Trump told Fox News host Sean Hannity in early January. "The cartels are running Mexico, it’s very sad to watch and see what’s happened to that country."

The latest FAA notices will be in effect for 60 days. 

Fox News Digital’s Nora Moriarty and The Associated Press contributed to this report.