Chile’s December presidential election is set to have a runoff between the Communist Party and a far-right candidate, after the first round on Sunday produced no clear winner.
Crime and immigration dominated the election campaign, as immigration into the country has increased in recent years and candidates pledged to fight foreign gangs such as Venezuela’s Tren de Aragua.
Janet Jara of the Communist Party, from the ruling coalition, narrowly won in the first round, closely followed by far-right candidate José Antonio Cast.
The result is expected to give a boost to Kast, as Jara was the only left-wing candidate to run against several right-wing candidates, splitting the right-wing vote.
In the December 14 runoff, voters will have to rally around one of these two candidates.
Kast is expected to receive votes from other non-finalists, including center-right Senator Evelyn Mathie and ultra-liberal congressman Johannes Kaiser.
If this happens, it will make Chile the latest country in Latin America to shift to the right.
Kast is a conservative lawyer and former congressman who lost a 2021 runoff to President Gabriel Buric. This is the third time he has run for president.
The father of nine has promoted a tough anti-immigration campaign including a Trump-style “border wall,” opposes abortion even in cases of rape, has criticized environmental and indigenous activism, and wants to shrink the state.
His brother was a minister during Augusto Pinochet’s dictatorship and his father was a member of the Nazi Party.
Speaking on election night, he said Chile needed to avoid “the continuation of a very bad government. Perhaps the worst government in the democratic history of Chile.”
Jara is a member of the Communist Party but is considered by many to be center-left in practice. She was a minister in President Buric’s government, and her program included a pledge to increase lithium production, raise the minimum wage, build new prisons and deploy the army to protect Chile’s borders.
As the results came in, she said: “Democracy in our country must be cared for and appreciated. It costs us a lot to restore it, and today it is in danger.”
Both candidates spoke of their pledges to tackle crime and immigration, with organized crime and kidnappings on the rise in the country.
The foreign population in Chile has grown since 2017. The National Immigration Service said in December 2023 that their number had reached more than 1.9 million people. Official estimates indicate that at least 330,000 illegal immigrants are living illegally in the country, many of them from Venezuela.
Kast blamed the high crime rates on immigration, although several studies indicate that those born abroad commit fewer crimes on average than Chileans.
Chile, seen as more prosperous and safe compared to some other Latin American countries, is a sought-after destination for migrants in the region, and for those returning from the United States following President Trump’s crackdown on immigration.
Kast pledged to build trenches along Chile’s northern borders with Peru and Bolivia, as well as mass deportations of illegal immigrants and people who entered the country illegally.
He also promised to create new high-security prisons, like those built in El Salvador.
Jara promised to build new prisons and expel foreigners convicted of drug trafficking.
This election was the first time that all eligible voters were automatically registered to vote, and voting was compulsory in Chile.
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2025-11-17 00:58:00
