Presidential candidate Johannes Kaiser urged against annulling votes in the December 14 runoff election, claiming it would aid the totalitarian project of Jeannette Jara. The statement came on the day the Party of the People largely chose null votes. Kaiser praised Democrats' backing of José Antonio Kast as a defense of democracy.
Johannes Kaiser, deputy and president of the National Libertarian Party (PNL), issued an urgent call this Monday to avoid null or blank votes in the presidential runoff set for December 14. According to Kaiser, this neutral stance would only pave the way for Jeannette Jara's candidacy, which he portrays as an advocate of the “Venezuelan and Cuban model” and a totalitarian project endangering freedoms in Chile.
The immediate backdrop is the Party of the People's (PDG) decision, following an internal poll, which showed 78% support for null or blank votes, 20% for José Antonio Kast, and just 2% for Jara. Kaiser labeled this neutrality a “grave democratic risk,” stating that it “only facilitates the advance of projects that put freedoms and democracy in Chile at risk”.
In contrast, the libertarian politician commended Democrats' stance in backing Kast. “Beyond political differences, this support reflects the need to defend democratic institutions against a Communist Party that does not recognize the democratic system and maintains a totalitarian tradition,” Kaiser noted. This position highlights divisions in Chile's political spectrum ahead of the 2025 runoff, where alliances and abstentions could determine the outcome.