Forbes Mexico.
Presidential elections in Chile: Who is running and what is at stake?
Chileans will go to the polls on Sunday to elect a new president in a vote that pits the left-wing ruling coalition against a host of right-wing candidates at a time when crime and immigration are voters’ top concerns.
These will be Chile’s first presidential elections since 2012 in which voting will be mandatory; those who do not vote will face a fine.
The country, with some 16 million voters, recorded an abstention rate of 53% in the first round of its 2021 presidential election, and the large number of apathetic or undecided residents who will turn out to vote adds a factor of uncertainty to Sunday’s vote.
None of the eight candidates in the race are expected to reach the majority needed to win outright, which will likely trigger a runoff election on Dec. 14.
Jeannette Jara
Jara, 51, is a member of the Communist Party and a candidate for the ruling coalition. He leads the polls and is expected to go to the second round, but faces obstacles such as the unpopularity of current president Gabriel Boric, who cannot run for consecutive re-election, and his militancy in the Communist Party.
Read also: Bolivia goes to the second round after turning to the right in presidential elections
The former Minister of Labor seeks to increase the minimum wage, strengthen labor rights and boost the lithium industry. He has also highlighted the importance of security, pledging to build new prisons and modernize the police.
José Antonio Kast
Kast, 59, is a lawyer and three-time presidential candidate, although he lost the 2021 second round to Boric. Founder of the far-right Republican Party, Kast has prioritized immigration and security on his political agenda, with proposals to mass deport undocumented immigrants and build more maximum-security prisons.
The son of a German army lieutenant who fled to South America after World War II, his father’s membership in the Nazi Party hurt his candidacy in the last race, as did his brother’s ministerial position during Augusto Pinochet’s dictatorship.
Juan Kaiser
Kaiser, 49, shares with Kast German-Chilean heritage, legal training and was a member of his Republican Party before splitting to form the National Libertarian Party.
The congressman, who rose to fame as a YouTuber, would close the border with Bolivia, deport undocumented immigrants with criminal records to El Salvador, drastically cut public spending and considerably reduce the size of the State. Kaiser would also leave the Regional Court of Human Rights and the
Paris Agreement on climate change.
Evelyn Matthei
Matthei, 72, is a moderate right-wing conservative who was an early favorite but has since fallen in the polls.
An economist, former mayor and former Minister of Labor, this is Matthei’s second presidential candidacy after losing with 38% to Michelle Bachelet of the Socialist Party in 2013.
The legislature and the scenario of the second round
Polls show that Jara and Kast are the most likely to advance to the December elections, and that Kast and other right-wing candidates are the favorites to beat Jara in a runoff.
The December elections will also present a new legislative composition. Chile’s left-wing ruling coalition has a minority in both houses of Congress, and all 155 members of the Chamber of Deputies and 23 of the 50 seats in the Senate are up for grabs.
If the Chilean right wins the presidency and control of both legislatures, it would be the first time since the end of the Pinochet dictatorship in 1990 that the right would control all three.
If the right-wing coalition achieves a four-sevenths majority in both chambers (89 in Congress and 29 in the Senate), it could approve constitutional reforms.
And mining?
Chile is the world’s largest producer of copper and the second largest producer of lithium, and both candidates have broad support for the sector. Jara has said he will push state copper giant Codelco to take an even bigger role in lithium production, while Kast has said he will audit the company at the start of his term.
Mining companies are pressuring candidates to expedite environmental permitting so they can more quickly expand their mines and boost production.
Follow us on Google News to always stay informed
Presidential elections in Chile: Who is running and what is at stake?
Forbes Mexico Staff
