🔗 Share this article

Following a conclusive runoff election, hardline candidate José Antonio Kast has clinched the top job in Chile.

A Commanding Win

After over 99% of polling stations reporting, Kast won 58.17% of the votes, defeating leftist candidate Jeannette Jara, who earned 41.83%.

This signifies Kast's third presidency, having in the past been lost by the incumbent president, Gabriel Boric, in the 2021 second round.

Agenda Centered On Security and Migration

Noted for his strong socially conservative views and praise for the period of dictator Augusto Pinochet, Kast's electoral bid was largely built on promises to address increasing crime and significantly curb immigration.

He repeatedly cited immigrants, notably the around 330,000 illegal individuals in Chile, for public safety problems. Throughout the race, he gave an final demand for them to exit before the new term begins or face deportation.

His proposals envisioned Trump-inspired measures such as constructing detention centers, border walls, security fences, and increasing the military presence on the northernmost frontier.

Part of a Broader Wave

Several observers view Kast's victory as fitting into a larger rightward shift in South America, following this year's political wins in countries like Ecuador, Bolivia, and Argentina.

Nevertheless, other experts also describe it as a extension of the regular rotation of power between left and right administrations since Chile's establishment of democracy in 1990.

Governing Lacking a Solid Mandate

Despite his clear electoral win, Kast will not hold an absolute majority in parliament, neither in the Chamber of Deputies or the Senate, even if all right-leaning parties are grouped together.

This legislative landscape may challenge his agenda, such as a pledge to slash public spending by $6 billion within a year and a half—a measure for which he has not offered a clear explanation.

"We have several things about what a Kast administration will look like that remain unclear because he has not explained how he will achieve them," commented a political expert.

The analyst continued, "On fiscal matters, it is very likely we will see austerity policies common for the right. But the area with considerably less doubt is on security policy, because that has been his flagship issue throughout the campaign."