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.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has said he will “most likely” hold bilateral talks with U.S. President Donald Trump during next month’s...
Russia has called for clarification on whether U.S. President Donald Trump has changed his position on the war in Ukraine following remarks made at th...
The European Union and Taliban officials held talks in Brussels on Tuesday on consular services and the situation of Afghans whose asylum applications...
Israel's defence minister said on Wednesday Israeli troops will not withdraw from southern Lebanon, highlighting a hurdle to Iran-U.S. peace talks, as...
Iran is preparing for a week-long farewell to former Supreme Leader Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei, who was killed in February during Israeli-U.S. air r...
The U.S., EU and their allies are racing to secure supplies of rare earth elements - essential materials for electric vehicles, wind turbines and advanced technologies - as China maintains a dominant position in processing.
Chile’s newly inaugurated president, José Antonio Kast, has taken his first major step on immigration, launching plans for a fortified barrier along the country’s northern border just days after entering office.
At least four people have died and 17 others were injured after a liquid gas truck overturned and exploded in Santiago, Chile’s capital, authorities confirmed on Thursday. Police said the driver was among those killed.
Chilean President Gabriel Boric declared a state of catastrophe in two southern regions of country on Sunday as raging wildfires forced at least 20,000 people to evacuate and left at least 19 people dead.
A Ukrainian strike has damaged a school building in a Russian-controlled area of Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia region, according to local authorities cited by the TASS news agency. No injuries were reported in the incident.
Israel's defence minister said on Wednesday Israeli troops will not withdraw from southern Lebanon, highlighting a hurdle to Iran-U.S. peace talks, as the top U.S. diplomat tours the Middle East to win over allies sceptical about a proposed deal.
U.S. President Donald Trump said that Iran had agreed to nuclear inspections into "infinity, despite Tehran's denials, and that unfrozen Iranian assets would be used to buy humanitarian supplies from the United States.
Authorities in France are reporting that about 20 people have died over the weekend while swimming in unsupervised areas of rivers, lakes and coastal waters as they tried to escape the heatwave.
Ebola cases in the Democratic Republic of Congo have surpassed 1,000, with health officials warning that the outbreak is spreading rapidly through displacement camps and across borders.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has said he will “most likely” hold bilateral talks with U.S. President Donald Trump during next month’s NATO summit in Ankara, where the American leader is expected to attend.
Russia has called for clarification on whether U.S. President Donald Trump has changed his position on the war in Ukraine following remarks made at the recent G7 summit in Evian-les-Bains.
The European Union and Taliban officials held talks in Brussels on Tuesday on consular services and the situation of Afghans whose asylum applications have been rejected in Europe.
China’s anti-corruption authorities have launched an investigation into Bian Zhigang, a senior defence and space official, over suspected serious violations of discipline and law, officials said on Wednesday.
Alibaba, one of the world's largest technology and e-commerce companies, has sued the U.S. Pentagon after being added to a blacklist of firms it claims support China's military, escalating a dispute with potentially significant consequences for the company.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment