Chile elects hardline candidate as president in sharp tilt to the right

After falling short in two previous presidential runs, Mr Jose Antonio Kast finally secured the Chilean presidency on Dec 14, a sign of how his far-right, anti-immigrant views have gained a wave of new support amid fears about increased crime.

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Mr Kast, 59, easily beat leftist presidential candidate Jeannette Jara, winning 58 per cent of the vote and steering the South American country towards its sharpest rightward shift since the end of the military dictatorship in 1990.

He lost to leftist President Gabriel Boric in the election in 2021, a time when Mr Kast’s hardline policies were out of step with an electorate rattled by the Covid-19 pandemic, widespread protests against inequality, and hopes of drafting a new Constitution.

But now sentiment has shifted and Mr Kast’s proposals are resonating with voters who are overwhelmingly concerned about crime and immigration.

While Chile remains one of the safest countries in Latin America, an influx of organised crime has led to a rising murder rate and hurt economic growth, with a recent spike in high-profile incidents like kidnappings and assassinations.

As well as promising a crime crackdown, Mr Kast has vowed to build border walls and form a specialised police force modelled on US Immigration and Customs Enforcement and tasked with tracking down and deporting migrants in the country illegally. Government data shows the majority are Venezuelans.