Chile is counting votes after more than 15 million people cast ballots in a polarised presidential election. Early returns indicate no candidate will win an outright majority, making a runoff on 14 December likely. The frontrunners are Jeannette Jara (Communist) and far‑right Republican José Antonio Kast, whose hardline security and immigration proposals dominated the campaign. Control of both the presidency and Congress is at stake and could shift the country’s political course.
Chile Heads to Likely Runoff as Communist and Far‑Right Candidates Lead Polarised Race
Chile is counting votes after more than 15 million people cast ballots in a polarised presidential election. Early returns indicate no candidate will win an outright majority, making a runoff on 14 December likely. The frontrunners are Jeannette Jara (Communist) and far‑right Republican José Antonio Kast, whose hardline security and immigration proposals dominated the campaign. Control of both the presidency and Congress is at stake and could shift the country’s political course.
05:44 AM, 11/17/2025Politics
Chile votes with a runoff likely as votes are counted
Vote counting is under way after more than 15 million registered voters cast ballots in a deeply polarised presidential election that few expect to produce an outright winner. Polling stations closed at 6pm local time (21:00 GMT) on Sunday, and early returns suggest no candidate will reach the majority needed to avoid a second round on 14 December.
Frontrunners: Jara vs. Kast
The contest has narrowed to two sharply opposed figures: Jeannette Jara, 51, the governing coalition’s nominee from the Communist Party, and José Antonio Kast, 59, leader of the far‑right Republican Party. Kast has campaigned on hardline security and immigration measures, promising "drastic measures" to tackle gang violence and to deport undocumented migrants. In the run‑up to the vote he issued an ultimatum to an estimated 337,000 undocumented migrants to self‑deport or face forcible expulsion if he wins.
Main issues driving the campaign
The election centred on crime and migration. Chile has seen a rise in murders, kidnappings and extortion over the past decade, prompting public concern in a country once viewed as one of the safer in Latin America. President Gabriel Boric is constitutionally barred from seeking an immediate second term.
Authorities note some progress: under Mr Boric the homicide rate has fallen by roughly 10% since 2022 to about six deaths per 100,000 people — slightly higher than the US rate — but many voters remain worried about growing criminal violence and the arrival of cross‑border gangs.
Electoral rules and turnout
This ballot differed from the previous presidential contest by introducing mandatory voting for registered electors. Voter disengagement remains a factor: the last first round saw a 53% abstention rate, and a large body of undecided or apathetic voters adds uncertainty to the final result.
What’s at stake in Congress
Almost the entire legislature is also being contested: all 155 seats in the Chamber of Deputies and 23 of 50 Senate seats. The governing left‑wing coalition holds a minority in both chambers; if right‑wing forces win majorities in both Congress and the presidency, it would be the first time the right controls both since the end of Augusto Pinochet’s dictatorship in 1990.
Bottom line: Early returns point to a likely runoff on 14 December. The election outcome will shape Chile’s direction on security, migration and the balance of power in Congress.