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Chile Votes in First Round as Crime and Migration Dominate

With compulsory voting in force, rising crime has pushed the contest rightward.

Overview

  • Polls and reporting place Jeannette Jara in front for the first round, with José Antonio Kast favored to join her in a likely Dec. 14 runoff as Johannes Kaiser and Evelyn Matthei vie for third.
  • This is the first presidential race since 2012 with compulsory voting, with roughly 15.7–15.8 million eligible voters and fines for non-participation.
  • Security and immigration define the campaign, with candidates across the spectrum proposing tougher border controls, new prisons, and law‑and‑order measures.
  • Congressional races run alongside the presidency, and a right‑wing sweep could approach the four‑sevenths threshold in both chambers needed to pass constitutional reforms.
  • On mining policy, candidates broadly back the sector; Jara would expand Codelco’s role in lithium while Kast has proposed auditing the state miner.