On Sunday, 16 November, Chile held presidential and parliamentary elections to determine the successor to President Gabriel Boric. Among eight presidential candidates, two main blocs emerged. The first was represented by Jeannette Jara, former Minister of Labour under Boric and a member of the Communist Party. She embodies the governing alliance, ranging from the Christian Democrats to the Communist Party, heir to the coalitions that brought presidents such as Ricardo Lagos and Michelle Bachelet to power.
On the other hand, and in an unprecedented development in recent Chilean politics, the candidates of a “triple right” stood out. These included Evelyn Matthei (traditional right, former parliamentarian and former minister under Sebastián Piñera) and the so-called “new right,” represented by José Antonio Kast (former deputy, Chilean Republican Party, and presidential candidate in 2017 and 2021) and Johannes Kaiser, deputy of the National Libertarian Party since 2022, with little prior political experience. This constellation reflects a fragmented yet robust ideological landscape on the right, aligned with dominant global currents and containing disruptive elements. Additionally, independent economist Franco Parisi (candidate in 2013 and 2021) ran a campaign focused on middle-class concerns, critical of both “left” and “right,” and grounded in anti-establishment rhetoric.
Throughout the presidential campaign—largely dominated by the right—the public agenda revolved chiefly around public security and organised crime, followed by irregular migration and border management (with more than 800,000 Venezuelans residing in Chile). Economic performance also weighed heavily, with growth reaching only 1.7% between 2022 and 2024—although the International Monetary Fund has projected 2.5% for 2025.
At the same time, state spending and the need for public-sector cuts became central themes, championed by Kast and Kaiser, together with “tough on crime” policies reminiscent of some Latin American governments. Conversely, labour and pension issues—areas in which President Boric has advanced major reforms, including pension changes and a reduction of the working week to 40 hours—played a relatively minor role in the campaign debate.
Preliminary election results indicate a radical shift in the orientation of the government and the broader political landscape. With 99.56% of polling stations counted, Jeannette Jara secured first place with 26.85% of the vote, followed by José Antonio Kast with 23.92%. They were trailed by Franco Parisi with 19.70%, Johannes Kaiser with 13.94%, and Evelyn Matthei with 12.47%. While Parisi dominated in northern Chile, Jara won the Santiago region, and Kast prevailed in the traditional centre-south.
These figures reveal a transformation of considerable magnitude, particularly within Chile’s multi-party system. A primary factor is the weakening of support for left-wing and centre-left forces—their lowest presidential vote share since 1990—and the collapse of the traditional right, especially parties such as National Renewal and the Independent Democratic Union, which had enjoyed significant influence for decades. Together, these two blocs had constituted the major coalitions that guided Chile’s democratic transition from 1990 onward.
In the National Congress, all 155 deputies and 23 of the 50 senators were elected. In the lower house, the largest bloc of the new legislature will be constituted by this “new right” of libertarians, republicans, and social Christians—Kast and Kaiser ran on a single joint list—who surpassed the traditional right, confirming its historic decline and the shift in internal power dynamics. The Republican Party, for instance, emerged as the most-voted party in the country, with more than 1,400,000 votes and 31 seats, an unprecedented development in recent political history.
Meanwhile, the governing coalition’s representation has diminished, as the right is projected to secure an absolute majority—allowing it to govern without difficulty for the first time since the transition to democracy—augmented by Parisi’s supporters, who also achieved strong representation. In the Senate, which was only partially renewed, the right likewise obtained a majority, albeit a narrower one.
The presidential runoff will be held on 14 December. Although the race is still unfolding, Jara’s prospects appear remote. The combined right-wing vote exceeds 50%—not counting Parisi’s voters, who have expressed opposition to Boric’s administration and to Jara’s candidacy—suggesting a severe defeat for the progressive bloc.
Amid these developments, Chile is preparing for a shift in its political cycle, with an agenda shaped by conservative priorities and notable transformations in the party system and emerging leaderships.
PhD in Contemporary History, researcher at the Library of the National Congress of Chile, and contributor to Fundación Alternativas
Pablo Rubio Apiolaza
