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After a definitive second-round vote, far-right candidate José Antonio Kast has won the top job in Chile.

A Commanding Win

After over 99% of polling stations reporting, Kast garnered 58.17% of the vote, beating leftist candidate Jeannette Jara, who received 41.83%.

This signifies Kast's third attempt at the presidency, having in the past been defeated by the current president, Gabriel Boric, in the 2021 second round.

Agenda Focused On Security and Migration

Known for his strong socially conservative views and admiration for the rule of former leader Augusto Pinochet, Kast's electoral bid was largely focused on promises to address growing insecurity and drastically restrict migration.

He frequently pointed to immigrants, particularly the around 330,000 unauthorized individuals in Chile, for public safety problems. Throughout the campaign, he delivered an final demand for them to depart before the inauguration or face expulsion.

His proposals included controversial measures such as erecting holding facilities, high walls, perimeter fencing, and bolstering the armed forces presence on the northernmost border.

Part of a Regional Shift

Several observers view Kast's victory as aligning with a broader right-wing wave in Latin America, following this year's political wins in nations like Ecuador, Bolivia, and Argentina.

However, other pundits additionally view it as a extension of the established alternation of power between left-wing and right-wing governments since Chile's establishment of democracy in 1990.

Ruling Without a Clear Mandate

Despite his clear popular vote victory, Kast does not have an clear majority in parliament, neither in the lower house or the Senate, even when all right-leaning parties are counted together.

This political reality could hinder his agenda, such as a pledge to slash public spending by $6 billion within 18 months—a proposal for which he has not provided concrete steps.

"We have numerous questions about what a Kast presidency will be that we don't know because he has not detailed how he will implement them," noted a political science professor.

The professor stated, "Regarding the economy, it is very likely we will see austerity policies associated with the right-wing. But where there is much less doubt is on law and order, because that has been his central theme throughout the campaign."