Jeannette Jara, Chile’s former labour minister, has emerged as the incumbent government’s presidential candidate after a decisive primary victory, setting up a contest against right-wing rivals in November.

Jeannette Jara, a prominent figure from Chile’s Communist Party and the country’s former labour minister, won a landslide victory in Sunday’s presidential primaries, securing 60.31% of the vote with nearly all ballots counted.

Carolina Toha, the former interior minister and candidate from the Democratic Socialism party, came in a distant second with 27.91%.

The results, with 98.27% of ballots tallied, make Jara the official candidate for the governing left-wing coalition in the November presidential elections.

In her victory speech, flanked by former rivals, Jara strongly criticised the absence of right-wing parties from the primaries.

“I urge you to hold on to each other and not let go, so we can face Chile’s far right with the broadest possible front, politically and socially, and stop it,” she told supporters.

Jara also signalled that her campaign would be built on unity and the creation of a wide coalition.

Only the governing coalition, led by current President Gabriel Boric, participated in the primaries, while right-wing candidates, who currently dominate most presidential polls, chose to skip the internal contest and will compete directly on election day, scheduled for 16 November.

President Boric, who voted in his hometown of Punta Arenas, emphasised the importance of unity for progressive sectors.

“The important thing is that by the end of the day, the progressive sectors are going to be behind a single candidate,” he said in a press conference.

Jara has gained national recognition for her role in delivering a key government pledge: reducing the work week to 40 hours. Her popularity surged as she helped shepherd this reform through Congress. She stepped down from the cabinet in April to focus on her campaign.

Consecutive presidential re-election is not permitted in Chile, preventing Boric from seeking a second term. Boric’s administration, which rose to power on the back of mass protests against inequality, has faced falling approval ratings as crime and immigration became top public concerns. Several of his ambitious reforms, including plans for a new constitution, either failed to pass or were heavily diluted in the legislative process.

The shift in public mood has boosted right-wing candidates such as Evelyn Matthei, a seasoned politician running on promises of “order, progress and hope”, and Jose Antonio Kast, a hard-right figure who lost to Boric in 2021 and is campaigning with a strong law-and-order message.

If no candidate secures an outright majority in the November vote, a runoff is set for 14 December. The coming months are expected to see intense campaigning as Chile confronts major questions over its political and social future.

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