Overview
- Jeannette Jara accused José Antonio Kast of stoking fear after he delivered a speech behind bulletproof glass in Viña del Mar, saying she would not hide from voters.
- Polling shows Jara leading the first round, with surveys indicating she could lose a likely December runoff to Kast or other right‑wing contenders.
- Both front‑runners center their platforms on tougher security, proposing stronger policing, expanded prison capacity, and upgraded equipment and training.
- Far‑right proposals on migration have hardened, with Kast urging self‑deportation or expulsion of an estimated 330,000 undocumented migrants and Johannes Kaiser suggesting transfers of offenders to El Salvador’s CECOT prison.
- Authorities report rising kidnappings, extortion and contract killings linked to transnational gangs since 2021, as public fear grows, private security use jumps, and the Boric government rolls out measures including a new Security Ministry and specialized anti‑crime units.