Jose Antonio Kast won Chile’s presidential election on Sunday, defeating left-wing rival Jeanette Jara in a runoff as voters backed tougher policies on crime and illegal immigration, marking the country’s strongest move to the right in decades.
With more than 95 percent of ballots counted, Kast secured 58.30 percent of the vote to Jara’s 41.70 percent, according to official results. Jara conceded shortly after the outcome became clear, saying, “Democracy has spoken loud and clear. I have communicated with Jose Antonio Kast and wished him success for the good of Chile.”
Kast, a longtime conservative figure in Chilean politics, ran his third presidential campaign and returned to a runoff after losing the 2021 election to leftist President Gabriel Boric.
At one time viewed by many voters as too hardline, Kast gained momentum this cycle as public concern over violent crime and illegal immigration intensified. Kast was born in Santiago, Chile, to parents who were German immigrants, and thus speaks German. His father, Michael Kast, emigrated to Chile in 1950 after serving the Nazis during World War II.
During the campaign, Kast pledged to deploy the military to high-crime areas, construct border barriers, and deport migrants in the country illegally. He also proposed creating a police force modeled after US Immigration and Customs Enforcement to more rapidly detain and remove illegal immigrants, along with broad reductions in public spending.
Supporters gathered at Kast’s campaign headquarters in Santiago on election night, waving Chilean flags and chanting slogans. Some wore red hats reading “Make Chile Great Again.”
With more than 95 percent of ballots counted, Kast secured 58.30 percent of the vote to Jara’s 41.70 percent, according to official results. Jara conceded shortly after the outcome became clear, saying, “Democracy has spoken loud and clear. I have communicated with Jose Antonio Kast and wished him success for the good of Chile.”
Kast, a longtime conservative figure in Chilean politics, ran his third presidential campaign and returned to a runoff after losing the 2021 election to leftist President Gabriel Boric.
At one time viewed by many voters as too hardline, Kast gained momentum this cycle as public concern over violent crime and illegal immigration intensified. Kast was born in Santiago, Chile, to parents who were German immigrants, and thus speaks German. His father, Michael Kast, emigrated to Chile in 1950 after serving the Nazis during World War II.
During the campaign, Kast pledged to deploy the military to high-crime areas, construct border barriers, and deport migrants in the country illegally. He also proposed creating a police force modeled after US Immigration and Customs Enforcement to more rapidly detain and remove illegal immigrants, along with broad reductions in public spending.
Supporters gathered at Kast’s campaign headquarters in Santiago on election night, waving Chilean flags and chanting slogans. Some wore red hats reading “Make Chile Great Again.”
