🔗 Share this article

Following a conclusive final ballot, ultra-conservative figure José Antonio Kast has secured the top job in Chile.

A Commanding Win

With over 99% of votes tallied, Kast won 58.17% of the ballots, beating leftist former minister Jeannette Jara, who received 41.83%.

This represents Kast's third attempt at the presidency, having in the past been lost by the sitting president, Gabriel Boric, in the 2021 final vote.

Agenda Centered On Security and Immigration

Recognized for his staunch socially conservative views and regard for the rule of former leader Augusto Pinochet, Kast's campaign was primarily centered on promises to combat growing violence and radically curb migration.

He consistently cited migrants, notably the around 330,000 unauthorized individuals in Chile, for crime rates. Throughout the election cycle, he issued an ultimatum for them to exit before the inauguration or face removal.

His plans featured U.S.-style measures such as erecting holding facilities, border walls, security fences, and increasing the armed forces presence on the northern frontier.

Within a Continental Trend

Numerous commentators view Kast's win as fitting into a wider right-wing trend in South America, similar to this year's electoral results in nations like Ecuador, Bolivia, and Argentina.

Yet, other pundits further describe it as a continuation of the established rotation of power between left-wing and right-wing leadership since Chile's establishment of democracy in 1990.

Leading Without a Strong Majority

Despite his sweeping popular vote win, Kast will not hold an overall majority in parliament, neither in the lower house nor the Senate, even when all right-leaning parties are counted together.

This legislative reality could challenge his agenda, including a pledge to reduce public spending by a significant sum within a year and a half—a plan for which he has not offered a clear explanation.

"There are many things about what a Kast government will operate that remain unclear because he has not explained his methods for achieve them," said a political expert.

The expert added, "Regarding fiscal matters, it is almost certain we will see austerity policies typical of the right. But the area with far less doubt is on law and order, because that has been his central theme throughout the race."