A surge in violent crime looks set to dominate presidential elections Sunday in Chile, where the far right is riding high with promises to crack down on transnational gangs and carry out mass migrant deportations.
A sharp increase in murders, kidnappings and drug-trafficking over the past decade has sown terror in one of Latin America's safest nations, causing a right-ward lurch after nearly four years of centre-left rule.
"What I want from the next president is more of an iron fist," or 'mano dura' in Spanish, said Hernán González, a 28-year-old educator for juvenile offenders in the northern city of Iquique, accusing migrant "hordes" of driving "trafficking, crime and juvenile drug use."
The main left-wing candidate, Jeannette Jara, is a Communist, who is leading polls for the first round, ahead of far-right candidate José Antonio Kast, the runner-up four years ago.
But 51-year-old Jara faces an uphill battle to overcome strong resistance to Communism in one of Latin America's most pro-business economies.
Polls show Jara being defeated by either Kast, uber-right former YouTuber Johannes Kaiser or conservative ex-mayor Evelyn Matthei, if the election, as expected, goes to a second round run-off on December 14.
The vote is seen as a litmus test for the future of South America's left, which
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