Politics Chile: Run-off election must decide the battle for the presidency
Government candidate Jeannette Jara has narrowly won the first round of the presidential election in Chile, but will have to go to a run-off in mid-December.
17.11.2025, 03:03
SDA
The communist achieved almost 27 percent, as the electoral office announced after almost all votes had been counted. The German-born right-wing politician José Antonio Kast received a good 24 percent of the vote on Sunday (local time). The two strongest candidates will now face each other in the run-off election on December 14.
The incumbent President Gabriel Boric, who was unable to run again for constitutional reasons, congratulated the winners of the first round. "In a democracy, the candidates who want to represent the citizens in the municipalities and regions should be public officials with honesty, integrity and a willingness to serve," he told his potential successors.
Economist provides a surprise
The economist Franco Parisi caused a surprise by coming third, contrary to the latest polls. He was followed by the ultra-right Johannes Kaiser and the conservative Evelyn Matthei.
Communist and ultra-conservative make it to the run-off election
Despite former Labour Minister Jara's victory in the first round, ultra-conservative Kast from the Republican Party is now the favorite going into the run-off. Unlike his rival, he has a real chance of mobilizing the votes of his defeated opponents from the right-wing camp. "Chile is more important than the parties," said the father of nine and devout Catholic.
His right-wing rival Kaiser conceded defeat and called on his supporters to back Kast. Conservative candidate Matthei also congratulated the winners of the first election round. "Our fatherland demands democratic responsibility, real solutions to our major problems and the ability to engage in dialog," she said.
Security and migration at the heart of the election campaign
The election campaign focused on the issues of security and migration. Although Chile is still one of the safest countries in the region, crime has recently increased in some areas. According to estimates, there are more than 330,000 undocumented foreigners living in the South American country with a population of over 18 million - the vast majority of whom come from the crisis-hit country of Venezuela.
