Chile is headed to a tense presidential runoff after a first-round vote on Sunday (November 16, 2025) set up a showdown between a member of the Communist Party and an ultraconservative veteran politician, sharply polarising the country between the political left and right.
Jeannette Jara, 51, the communist former Labour Minister and candidate of Chile's centre-left governing coalition, claimed more than 26% of valid ballots with more than 80% of the vote counted, failing to pass the 50% threshold to secure victory in the first round.
“This is a great country,” she said from her campaign headquarters in Santiago, Chile's capital. “I want to give everyone who voted for me a warm hug.”
José Antonio Kast, 59, a hard-right former lawmaker and devout Catholic opposed to same-sex marriage and abortion, captured more than 24% of the vote, underscoring the resilience of his law-and-order platform as a surge in organised crime rattles one of Latin America's safest nations and foments anti-migrant sentiment among Chileans.
Mr. Kast had a tougher message for the country after learning he would advance to the runoff.
“What we need to avoid is the conti
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