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Jara Tops Chile’s First Round as Kast Advances to December Runoff

Consolidated right-wing support makes Kast the favorite for the Dec. 14 runoff.

Overview

  • Official Servel results put Jeannette Jara at 26.58% and José Antonio Kast at 24.32%, sending both to a Dec. 14 second round.
  • Media tallies report Franco Parisi around 19.3%, Johannes Kaiser about 13–14%, and Evelyn Matthei near 12–13%, positioning Kast to gain most right-leaning transfers.
  • With compulsory voting for roughly 15.6 million citizens, officials and reporters noted long lines as polls closed and counting began.
  • Security and irregular migration dominated the campaign, with homicide rates rising from roughly 2.5 to about 6 per 100,000 over a decade and right-wing candidates promising mass expulsions and tougher policing.
  • Jara, a Communist Party figure and former labor minister, has stressed stricter border controls and public safety, yet analysts say her first-round plurality may not overcome a unified right in the runoff.