🔗 Share this article

Following a conclusive second-round vote, hardline figure José Antonio Kast has secured the top job in Chile.

A Resounding Victory

After more than 99% of polling stations reporting, Kast won 58.17% of the ballots, beating leftist candidate Jeannette Jara, who earned 41.83%.

This signifies Kast's third bid for the presidency, having earlier been defeated by the sitting president, Gabriel Boric, in the 2021 second round.

Agenda Focused On Law and Order and Immigration

Known for his strong socially conservative views and admiration for the period of dictator Augusto Pinochet, Kast's platform was largely centered on promises to tackle rising insecurity and drastically reduce immigration.

He consistently blamed foreigners, notably the roughly 330,000 unauthorized individuals in Chile, for public safety problems. During the election cycle, he issued an ultimatum for them to leave before the inauguration or face deportation.

His policy ideas included Trump-inspired measures such as building camps, barriers, security fences, and increasing the army presence on the northern frontier.

Part of a Regional Trend

Many analysts view Kast's victory as part of a broader rightward wave in South America, coming after recent electoral results in countries like Ecuador, Bolivia, and Argentina.

However, other analysts further view it as a extension of the established swing of power between left-wing and right-wing leadership since Chile's establishment of democracy in 1990.

Leading Without a Clear Majority

In spite of his clear electoral triumph, Kast will not have an absolute majority in Congress, not in the Chamber of Deputies nor the Senate, even when all rightwing parties are counted together.

This political reality might challenge his agenda, such as a pledge to cut public spending by a significant sum within a year and a half—a measure for which he has yet to provided specifics.

"We have many aspects about what a Kast administration will be that we don't know because he has not explained how he will do them," noted a political science expert.

The analyst stated, "Regarding economic policy, it is highly probable we will see spending cuts associated with the right-wing. But where there is considerably less doubt is on security policy, because that has been his flagship issue across the campaign."