Trump-Style Conservative Favored Against Communist Candidate As Chile Enters Presidential Run-Off
The consensus out of a closely watched presidential race in Chile is that the Right is rising and holds the upper hand, after a Sunday vote produced no clear winner between Jeannette Jara of the Communist Party, and José Antonio Kast, an ultraconservative lawyer who has expressed admiration for Donald Trump.
A run-off is now scheduled for December 14. Sunday's election, in which neither secured the necessary majority to be declared winner, saw the left-wing Jara finish slightly ahead in the initial round.
However, Kast is favored in the run-off election given that the vote on the right was divided among several candidates, while Jara was the only one on the far Left. But now the lone contender representing the Right, Kast is expected to sweep up these additional votes in December.
The supporters of the now eliminated center-right Senator Evelyn Matthei and libertarian Congressman Johannes Kaiser are expected to get behind former lawmaker Kast for president. In total the three right-wing candidates got over 50% of the vote compared to results in the low 30% range for the left.
This would mark yet another rightward turn in Latin American politics generally, which could also suggest the broader regional influence of Trump messaging.
Kast declared on election night Chile must avoid continuing what he lambasted as "a very bad government - perhaps the worst in Chile’s democratic history."
The Associated Press describes his staunch conservative platform as follows:
And The New York Times talks about Kast's 'Trump-style' approach:
As for Jara, she has declared Kast as a 'threat' to the country. "Democracy in our country must be protected and valued. We worked hard to regain it, and today it is under threat."
The question of rising crime on Chilean streets alongside increased immigration has been high on the agenda and featured heavily in public debate. Like with the US, Venezuela has been a name front and center in the immigration discourse.
Of Chile's nearly 20 million people, at least 1.9 million are foreign nationals. International outlets have calculated this marks an increase of over 46% since 2018. And many of the some 330,000 estimated undocumented migrants are from Venezuela. This has sparked anger and uncertainty among Chileans, especially those in the center and which lean right.
Tyler Durden
Mon, 11/17/2025 - 23:00
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