🔗 Share this article Ultra-Conservative Ex- Legislator J.A. Kast Chosen as Chile's Incoming Head of State. In a decisive second-round vote, hardline candidate José Antonio Kast has clinched the top job in Chile. A Commanding Win After over 99% of polling stations reporting, Kast secured 58.17% of the vote, overcoming leftist candidate Jeannette Jara, who received 41.83%. This marks Kast's third attempt at the presidency, having earlier been lost by the incumbent president, Gabriel Boric, in the 2021 final vote. Platform Built On Law and Order and Immigration Noted for his strong socially conservative views and praise for the rule of dictator Augusto Pinochet, Kast's platform was mostly built on promises to combat rising violence and drastically restrict immigration. He repeatedly cited foreigners, particularly the around 330,000 unauthorized individuals in Chile, for crime rates. Throughout the race, he issued an final demand for them to leave before the new term begins or face removal. His plans included Trump-inspired measures such as erecting detention centers, border walls, electric fences, and increasing the armed forces presence on the northernmost border. Amid a Continental Trend Many commentators interpret Kast's success as fitting into a broader right-wing trend in South America, similar to this year's political outcomes in countries like Ecuador, Bolivia, and Argentina. However, other experts further frame it as a part of the regular alternation of power between left and right-wing leadership since Chile's establishment of democracy in 1990. Ruling Without a Solid Majority In spite of his clear electoral victory, Kast will not hold an clear majority in the legislature, not in the Chamber of Deputies or the Senate, even when all rightwing parties are combined together. This legislative landscape could complicate his policy goals, including a vow to slash public spending by a significant sum within a year and a half—a proposal for which he has not detailed specifics. "There are numerous things about what a Kast government will be that remain unclear because he has not said the way he will implement them," said a political analyst. The analyst stated, "On the economy, it is almost certain we will see austerity policies common for the right. However where there is far less doubt is on law and order, because that has been his central theme during the campaign."