🔗 Share this article

In a decisive runoff election, ultra-conservative figure José Antonio Kast has won the presidency in Chile.

A Clear-Cut Win

With more than 99% of votes tallied, Kast won 58.17% of the vote, overcoming leftist candidate Jeannette Jara, who received 41.83%.

This represents Kast's third attempt at the presidency, having previously been beaten by the incumbent president, Gabriel Boric, in the 2021 second round.

Campaign Centered On Law and Order and Immigration

Recognized for his staunch socially conservative views and admiration for the period of dictator Augusto Pinochet, Kast's campaign was primarily centered on promises to address rising insecurity and radically reduce immigration.

He consistently pointed to migrants, notably the approximately 330,000 illegal individuals in Chile, for public safety problems. Throughout the campaign, he issued an final demand for them to leave before the new term begins or face deportation.

His policy ideas featured Trump-inspired measures such as erecting camps, border walls, electric fences, and increasing the military presence on the northern frontier.

Amid a Continental Wave

Several analysts see Kast's victory as part of a larger rightward shift in Latin America, similar to recent electoral outcomes in nations like Ecuador, Bolivia, and Argentina.

Yet, other pundits further view it as a continuation of the established alternation of power between left and right-wing administrations since Chile's transition to democracy in 1990.

Governing Lacking a Solid Majority

Despite his sweeping electoral win, Kast is not expected to have an clear majority in the legislature, not in the lower house nor the Senate, even when all rightwing parties are combined together.

This political landscape could complicate his plans, including a vow to slash public spending by billions within a year and a half—a proposal for which he has not offered specifics.

"There are many aspects about what a Kast government will look like that we don't know because he has not explained the way he will do them," noted a political science analyst.

The professor added, "In terms of the economy, it is almost certain we will see spending cuts common for the right. However the area with considerably less uncertainty is on security policy, because that has been his flagship issue across the race."