Overview
- With 26.8% for Jeannette Jara and 23.9% for José Antonio Kast in the first round, Chile heads to a December 14 runoff after record turnout near 85% under compulsory voting.
- Early post‑vote polling by Panel Ciudadano UDD reported by El Mercurio shows Kast leading a hypothetical head‑to‑head 61% to 39%, with his advantage larger among compulsory voters.
- Right‑leaning rivals quickly rallied to Kast as Evelyn Matthei and Johannes Kaiser endorsed him, and Kast highlighted regional ties after a call with Argentina’s President Javier Milei.
- Jara is targeting Franco Parisi’s base by adopting select proposals, pledging VAT refunds on medicines and a cap of 5 million pesos on political appointees’ salaries, while shifting her message to public security.
- Parisi, who won about 19.7% and topped northern regions, has withheld an endorsement as his PDG expands to 14 deputies, underscoring a fragmented Congress where his bloc could be pivotal.