Kast Takes Early Lead Ahead of Chile’s Dec. 14 Presidential Runoff

Overview

• Jeannette Jara led the first round with 26.8% to José Antonio Kast’s 23.9%, sending the race to a Dec. 14 runoff.
• A post‑first‑round Panel Ciudadano survey reported Kast at 61% to Jara’s 39%, while other published polling has also indicated an advantage for Kast.
• Defeated right and center‑right contenders Johannes Kaiser and Evelyn Matthei endorsed Kast, as third‑place Franco Parisi withheld an endorsement and his voters could decide the outcome.
• Right‑leaning parties expanded their presence in the legislature, with the ultra‑right growing to six Senate seats and 42 in the Chamber of Deputies, yet no bloc secured a majority, signaling a fragmented Congress.
• Security and migration remain defining issues as Kast launched his runoff push in Temuco pledging hard‑line measures on crime and borders and warning that his proposed course would require sacrifices.