Far-right Republican Party candidate Jose Antonio Kast has won Chile’s presidential runoff election, official results showed, defeating Communist Party contender and former labour minister Jeannette Jara. Kast secured more than 58% of the vote, while Jara received around 42%.
Jara conceded defeat, stating that "democracy spoke loud and clear," and confirmed via a post on X that she had spoken to Kast to wish him well.
Kast’s campaign spokesman, Arturo Squella, declared victory from the party headquarters in Santiago, saying, “We are very proud of the work we've done. We feel very responsible for this tremendous challenge of taking charge of the crises that Chile is going through.”
In his victory speech, Kast vowed to bring about “real change,” emphasising law and order. “Without security, there is no peace. Without peace, there is no democracy, and without democracy there is no freedom, and Chile will return to be free of crime, anxiety and fear,” he said.
Voting in the runoff was compulsory for the first time in over a decade, with around 15.8 million people eligible to cast ballots. Kast is set to take office in March 2026. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio congratulated Kast on X, stating: “The United States looks forward to partnering with his administration to strengthen regional security and revitalize our trade relationship.”
Security and Migration Top Voter Concerns
Sunday’s vote marked Kast’s third bid for the presidency. The 59-year-old campaigned on a tough-on-crime and anti-migrant platform, promising to bring unity to what he described as a highly polarised country.
Once considered one of Latin America’s safest and most prosperous nations, Chile has been shaken in recent years by the Covid-19 pandemic, violent social protests, and rising organised crime. Recent polls indicate that more than 60% of Chileans see security as the most pressing issue, outweighing economic, healthcare, and education concerns. Authorities have attributed the rise in crime in certain areas to gangs linked to Venezuela, Peru, Colombia, and Ecuador.
Migration was also a key issue during the campaign, with migrants now making up roughly 10% of Chile’s population. Many have fled violence and poverty in other South American countries, particularly Venezuela. Kast has pledged to secure Chile’s borders, deport migrants without legal status, and build new prisons.
Kast has taken a hardline stance on social issues as well, opposing abortion without exception and expressing support for former military ruler Augusto Pinochet, who governed Chile from 1973 to 1990.
As Chile prepares for Kast’s inauguration in March, his administration is expected to focus on law and order, immigration control, and implementing his campaign promises to address what he describes as the country’s security and social crises.
U.S. President Donald Trump said on Sunday (4 January) that the United States could carry out further military action in Venezuela following the captu...
Swiss police have confirmed that all 40 victims of the New Year’s Eve fire at a bar in the mountain resort of Crans-Montana have now been identified...
Myanmar’s military junta has granted amnesty to more than 6,000 prisoners nationwide as the country marked its 78th Independence Day, local media re...
Denmark’s Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen has urged U.S. President Donald Trump to abandon threats to take over Greenland, following comments he ma...
Residents in Catia La Mar, near Caracas, say homes were damaged or destroyed during a U.S. military operation that captured Venezuelan President Nicol...
The political pendulum in Santiago swung decisively to the conservative hardline on Sunday night, as voters delivered a commanding mandate to the Republican Party leader to restore public order and overhaul Chile's economy.
Peru will declare a state of emergency along its border with Chile, President José Jerí said on Friday, as migrants seek to cross into the country following a Chilean presidential frontrunner's vow to expel undocumented migrants.
Five tourists were killed in a powerful snowstorm in Chile's Torres del Paine National Park, in the southern region of Patagonia, authorities said, adding that four more who were reported missing had been found alive.
Far-right candidate José Antonio Kast is gaining momentum ahead of Chile’s 14 December runoff, despite trailing slightly behind Communist-backed Jeannette Jara in the first round of voting.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has warned that the Russia-Ukraine war is now threatening trade in the Black Sea.
Teenagers as young as 14 and 15 years old were among those who died in the bar fire on New Year's Eve that killed 40 people in Switzerland, police said on Sunday.
North Korea fired a ballistic missile into the East Sea, according to South Korea and Japan, as regional diplomacy and security concerns remain in focus.
The United States launched an overnight military operation in Venezuela and captured its long-serving President Nicolás Maduro on Saturday, U.S. President Donald Trump said, pledging to place the country under temporary American control and signalling that U.S. forces could be deployed if necessary.
The UN Security Council will hold an emergency meeting Monday to discuss the U.S. operation in Venezuela.
U.S. President Donald Trump said on Sunday (4 January) that the United States could carry out further military action in Venezuela following the capture of President Nicolás Maduro. Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One, he said Washington now effectively controls the country.
Swiss police have confirmed that all 40 victims of the New Year’s Eve fire at a bar in the mountain resort of Crans-Montana have now been identified, with more than half of those killed being teenagers.
Myanmar’s military junta has granted amnesty to more than 6,000 prisoners nationwide as the country marked its 78th Independence Day, local media reported on Sunday.
Denmark’s Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen has urged U.S. President Donald Trump to abandon threats to take over Greenland, following comments he made in an interview with The Atlantic.
Residents in Catia La Mar, near Caracas, say homes were damaged or destroyed during a U.S. military operation that captured Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, with authorities reporting an unspecified number of deaths.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment