Chileans headed to the polls on Sunday in a high-stakes presidential election dominated by concerns over rising crime and migration, marking a sharp turn from the progressive wave that swept President Gabriel Boric into office four years ago.
Voters will also choose nearly the entire legislature, setting the stage for a possible political shift with broad national implications.
Polling stations will open at 8 a.m. local time (1100 GMT) and close at 6 p.m. (2100 GMT), though they will remain open longer if lines persist. Results are expected swiftly, with a full count anticipated within hours.
With eight candidates in the race and none projected to surpass the 50% plus one threshold, a December 14 run-off between the top two contenders is likely.
The governing coalition’s candidate, Jeannette Jara of the Communist Party, held a narrow lead in the last polls released before Chile’s 15-day pre-election blackout period.
Far-right Republican Party standard-bearer José Antonio Kast remained close behind.
Former Santiago mayor and longtime moderate-right politician Evelyn Matthei, once an early favorite, has slipped in recent months and is now competing for third place with libertarian firebrand Johannes Kaiser of the National Libertarian Party.
This election marks a dramatic departure from the reformist enthusiasm surrounding Boric’s rise and the failed effort to draft a new constitution.
Public frustration over insecurity, gang activity and irregular migration has become the defining electoral issue, overshadowing debates over social policy and economic reform.
Boric, whose approval ratings have sagged, is constitutionally barred from seeking re-election.
Turnout remains one of the biggest unknowns. With voting now mandatory for Chile’s 15.7 million registered voters, compared to a 53% abstention rate in the first round of the last election, analysts say the influx of historically disengaged citizens could scramble expectations.
“It’s an unprecedented scenario,” said Guillermo Holzmann of the University of Valparaíso, adding that many new voters are motivated less by ideology than by tangible promises of change.
Control of Congress is also at stake. All 155 seats in the lower house and 23 of the country’s 50 Senate seats are being contested. The leftist governing coalition currently holds a minority in both chambers.
A right-wing sweep could give conservatives unified control of both the presidency and Congress for the first time since the end of Augusto Pinochet’s dictatorship in 1990.
As Chileans file into polling centers nationwide, the outcome promises to shape not only the country’s political direction but also the broader trajectory of governance, security and economic recovery in one of Latin America’s most stable democracies.
Source: Reuters
Written By Rodney Mbua
