Overview
- Days before Sunday’s vote, security dominates the campaign after increases in kidnappings, extortion and contract killings tied to transnational gangs since 2021, according to police.
- Chile’s homicide rate was 6 per 100,000 in 2023, yet official surveys show high victimization and fear, with nearly 40% of homes attacked last year and a private security sector that has grown 350% over the decade.
- José Antonio Kast centers his message on forceful policing and mass expulsions, ordering undocumented migrants to self‑deport or face removal while pledging stronger police and expanded prisons.
- Jeannette Jara accused Kast of stoking fear after he spoke behind bulletproof glass and she vows to reinforce state policing and continue the Boric administration’s new security institutions.
- Recent polls show Jara leading the first round but project her defeat by Kast or another conservative in a likely runoff.