Safety and migration fears propel far-right win in Chile : NPR

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JAVIER TORRES/AFP through Getty Pictures SANTIAGO, Chile —Chile has taken a decisive flip to the precise after José Antonio Kast, a hardline conservative, received the nation's presidential runoff, following a marketing campaign dominated by fears over crime, migration and financial uncertainty.

With over 95% of ballots counted, Kast, the chief of the Republican Social gathering, secured roughly 58% of the vote.

His rival, Communist Social gathering candidate Jeannette Jara, who acquired simply over 41% of the vote, referred to as to concede defeat and wrote on social media, "Democracy spoke loud and clear." Outgoing President Gabriel Boric additionally phoned Kast to congratulate him.

As outcomes have been confirmed, the streets erupted with honking automotive horns, and crowds waving Chilean flags packed one among Santiago's wealthiest districts, keen to listen to the president-elect converse

Kast ran nearly completely on public safety and immigration, warning that Chile is in "disaster" and promising to type what he has referred to as an "emergency" authorities. His message struck a chord in a rustic shaken by a current surge in violent crime and rising unease over undocumented migration.

<img src="https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims3/default/strip/false/crop/5856x3904+0+0/resize/1100/quality/50/format/jpeg/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fb5%2Fd9%2F6838e69f40ab940709d5df54391a%2Fgettyimages-2251368135.jpg" data-template="https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims3/default/strip/false/crop/5856x3904+0+0/resize/{width}/quality/{quality}/format/{format}/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fb5%2Fd9%2F6838e69f40ab940709d5df54391a%2Fgettyimages-2251368135.jpg" class="img" alt="A supporter of Chile's presidential candidate Jose Antonio Kast, of the Partido Republicano party, waves a flag celebrating the first results of the presidential runoff election in Santiago on December 14, 2025. Chilean voters elected Jose Antonio Kast, the most right-wing president in 35 years of democracy, with a thumping 58 percent of votes and his rival Jeannette Jara conceding defeat, according to official results on December 14, 2025. (Photo by Javier TORRES / AFP via Getty Images)" loading="lazy"/> A supporter of Chile's presidential candidate Jose Antonio Kast, of the Partido Republicano occasion. JAVIER TORRES/AFP through Getty Pictures cover caption

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JAVIER TORRES/AFP through Getty Pictures A staunch admirer of former dictator Augusto Pinochet, Kast will turn out to be the primary president since Chile's return to democracy in 1990 to overtly assist the navy regime. His father, Michael Kast, was a member of the Nazi Social gathering who fought within the German military throughout World Struggle II earlier than emigrating to Chile in 1950.

Kast is ready to take workplace March 11, 2026. He has pledged to present undocumented migrants till that date to depart the nation, warning that those that stay would face deportation or prosecution.

His victory follows years of left-of-center rule and is anticipated to reshape Chile's political panorama, echoing a broader regional pattern wherein safety and migration have emerged as decisive electoral points throughout a lot of nations in Latin America.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio tweeted his congratulations, saying Washington seems to be ahead to "partnering along with his administration to strengthen regional safety."

Kast's election win was additionally welcomed by far-right libertarian President Javier Milei in neighboring Argentina, who declared his "pal" Kast's victory proof that Latin America would solid off the "oppressive shackles of twenty first century socialism."