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Chile Votes in Security-Focused Presidential Race Likely Headed to December Runoff

Mandatory voting signals a rightward turn driven by crime and migration fears.

A combination picture shows Chilean presidential candidates Evelyn Matthei of the Independent Democratic Union party, Jeannette Jara of the Communist Party, and Jose Antonio Kast of the Republican Party attending the last televised debate before the November 16 election, in Santiago, Chile, November 10, 2025, and Johannes Kaiser of the National Libertarian Party posing for a photograph, in Santiago, Chile, September 22, 2025. REUTERS/Pablo Sanhueza
Electoral workers prepare the old Mapocho train station, now a cultural center, to be used as a polling station for the general election in Santiago, Chile, Friday, Nov. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Esteban Felix)
Workers prepare a polling station ahead of the November 16 presidential election, in Santiago, Chile, November 14, 2025. REUTERS/Pablo Sanhueza
A soldier guards the old Mapocho train station, now a cultural center, that will be used as a polling station for the general election in Santiago, Chile, Friday, Nov. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Esteban Felix)

Overview

  • Eight candidates compete on Sunday, with no contender expected to surpass 50%, setting up a December 14 runoff under Chilean election law.
  • Pre-blackout polling put Communist Party candidate Jeannette Jara in first and José Antonio Kast in second, with libertarian Johannes Kaiser gaining late traction.
  • Analysts and surveys indicate the right would be favored in a head-to-head runoff against Jara.
  • Crime and immigration dominate the campaign, pushing contenders across the political spectrum toward tougher security and border proposals.
  • Voters also choose a new Congress, and a right-wing majority in both chambers could clear the four-sevenths threshold needed for constitutional reforms.