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Jara, Kast Advance to Chile Runoff After First Round Under Mandatory Voting

With mandatory voting in place, early official tallies show heavy turnout, setting a December 14 runoff; right-wing parties begin to realign.

Overview

  • Official Servel results with over half the vote counted place Jeannette Jara first at roughly 26.6% and José Antonio Kast second near 24.3%, leaving both short of the 50% needed to win outright.
  • The second round is scheduled for December 14, when the two leaders will face off to determine who succeeds President Gabriel Boric in March 2026.
  • The vote marked Chile’s first presidential contest under compulsory participation and automatic registration, with authorities reporting strong turnout and fines for non-voters.
  • Concurrently, Chile renewed all 155 deputies and 23 Senate seats; counts continue, with the next president’s agenda hinging on the new Congress.
  • Evelyn Matthei conceded and moved to back Kast, while preliminary tallies showed Franco Parisi and Johannes Kaiser trailing outside the runoff but holding voter blocs that could prove pivotal.