October 1, 2026
SANTIAGO, Chile (AP) — Conservative leader José Antonio Kast secured a decisive victory in Chile’s presidential runoff election Sunday, defeating the candidate of the leftist governing coalition.
With more than 95% of the vote counted, Kast won more than 58% of the votes as Chilean voters overwhelmingly embraced his pledge to crack down on increased crime, deport hundreds of thousands of immigrants without legal status, and revive the sluggish economy of one of Latin America’s most stable and prosperous nations.
His challenger, communist candidate Jeannette Jara, who served as leftist President Gabriel Boric’s labor minister, had just over 41% support.
“Democracy spoke loud and clear,” Jara wrote on social media, saying that she called Kast to concede defeat and congratulate him on his successful campaign.
Kast’s supporters erupted into cheers in the street, shouting his name and honking car horns.
His campaign spokesman, Arturo Squella, declared victory from the party headquarters in Chile's capital of Santiago.
“We are very proud of the work we’ve done,” he told reporters. “We feel very responsible for this tremendous challenge of taking charge of the crises that Chile is going through.”
Kast is a devout Catholic and father of nine whose moral conservatism, including fierce opposition to same-sex marriage and abortion without exception, had been rejected by many in the increasingly socially liberal country.
But in the past few years, fears about uncontrolled migration and organized crime have roiled the country. Enthusiasm for a hardline approach to crime spread, dominating the election and boosting Kast's law-and-order platform.
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