Far-right candidate Jos Antonio Kast favourite to become Chile's next president after first round vote

The Guardian:

The ultraconservative lawyer, José Antonio Kast, is in pole position to become Chile’s next leader after advancing to the second round of the South American country’s presidential election where he will face the Communist party candidate Jeannette Jara.

...

Kast, 59, is making his third run for Chile’s presidency, having lost to Boric in 2021, and has built his campaign around two key promises: combating crime and immigration.

One of Kast’s Trumpian plans – called Escudo Fronterizo (Border Shield) – foresees the construction of miles of ditches, barriers and walls along Chile’s northern border to keep migrants out. More than half a million Venezuelans have come to Chile in recent years as a result of their country’s economic collapse. “Chile has been invaded … but this is over,” Kast declared in one campaign ad.

Another of Kast’s key pledges is a crackdown on foreign criminals, inspired by El Salvador’s authoritarian leader Nayib Bukele, who has imprisoned at least 2% of his country’s adult population since 2022. Public security has become one of the election’s central issues thanks to an increase in crimes such as assassinations, kidnapping and extortion, although Chile remains one of the region’s safest countries.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/nov/17/far-right-candidate-jose-antonio-kast-favourite-to-become-chiles-next-president-after-first-round-vote