As Chile heads into its presidential election on Sunday, voters are gripped not by economic reform or social policy, but by crime, immigration, and organised gangs—a dramatic shift from the left-wing optimism that defined the previous cycle.
Chileans say their biggest worry now is security. According to an October survey by Ipsos, 63 % of respondents in Chile cited crime as their top concern—placing the country second out of 30 surveyed nations, including Mexico, Colombia and South Africa.
Despite Chile remaining one of Latin America’s safer nations, the murder rate has more than doubled since 2015—from 2.32 per 100,000 in 2015 to about 6.0 in 2024. Kidnappings hit a new high in 2024, reaching 868, with roughly 40% tied to organised crime.
Much of this surge is concentrated along Chile’s northern desert borderlands with Peru and Bolivia, where a wave of mostly Venezuelan migrants has entered the country. The figure jumped from 82,998 in 2017 to 669,408 in 2024.
Local residents, in towns such as Colchane, once left doors unlocked; now they tell of break-ins, robberies and even the murder of an 85-year-old woman in recent months.
The migration debate has become entwined with the security one—85.2 % of Chileans said they felt socially distanced from Venezuelans by 2025, up from 55.2 % in 2019.
At the heart of the organised crime story is the trans-national gang known as Tren de Aragua. Originally from Venezuela, it has established cells across Chile. Authorities say its crimes include extortion, contract killings, kidnapping, torture—and a network that spans banking secrecy and money-laundering.
Officials say they have arrested hundreds of its members and recently targeted its financial operations as an essential next step to cracking organised crime.
In the run-up to Sunday’s vote, right-wing candidates are emphasising tougher enforcement, stricter border controls and heavy-handed strategies against gangs and irregular migration. Meanwhile the current administration rejects purely punitive approaches and argues for legal reform, increased prosecution capacity and banking transparency.
With policing and public safety climbing to the top of the electoral agenda, Chile’s election has become a referendum on how to contain a wave of violent crime once largely unheard of in the country.
Russia's health watchdog said on Tuesday that no cases of plague had b...
An Azerbaijani citizen died and another is missing after a cargo ship was attacked by a drone in the Black Sea, near the coast of Romania on Monday...
Azerbaijan is seeking to attract more European visitors by improving air connectivity and raising its profile as an international tourism des...
Australian counterterrorism authorities are examining the links of the co-pilot accused of attacking the captain and attempting to take control of a flydubai flight bound for Israel. Authorities in New Zealand have also said they are investigating reports the suspect had spent time in that country.
Russia's health watchdog said on Tuesday that no cases of plague had been detected among anyone who had come into contact with a Siberian plague institute laboratory worker who died last week, and locals said their lives had barely been disrupted.
Right-wing Brazilian Senator Flavio Bolsonaro will face leftist President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva in a runoff of the presidential election later this month, after he exceeded expectations in Sunday's first-round vote with a slight lead over the incumbent.
Candidates elected to Bosnia and Herzegovina's three-member presidency declared victory after preliminary unofficial results showed Denis Becirovic leading the Bosniak seat, Darijana Filipovic ahead in the Croat seat and Zeljka Cvijanovic likely retaining the Serb seat.
An Azerbaijani citizen died and another is missing after a cargo ship was attacked by a drone in the Black Sea, near the coast of Romania on Monday, 5 October, Baku's Foreign Ministry has said.
Russia's health watchdog said on Tuesday that no cases of plague had been detected among anyone who had come into contact with a Siberian plague institute laboratory worker who died last week, and locals said their lives had barely been disrupted.
Space-agency chiefs and industry leaders met to discuss lunar exploration, satellite networks and orbital security on Tuesday as a major global space congress entered its second day.
Police fired tear gas at protesters blockading French high schools on Tuesday as students, teachers and parents took to the streets on the biggest day of action in a wave of demonstrations against understaffed and dilapidated classrooms.
A large Ukrainian drone attack on Moscow and the surrounding region has killed two people, damaged homes and sparked a major fire at a key fuel facility, according to Russian officials and military bloggers.
Kenya has confirmed its first case of Ebola after a Kenyan citizen who had travelled from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) died in Nairobi, prompting health authorities to launch an urgent contact-tracing operation.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment