In Chile's 2025 presidential election, officialist candidate Jeannette Jara and Republican José Antonio Kast secured the top two spots, setting up a runoff on December 14. With over 90% of votes counted, Jara led with 26.74% against Kast's 24.07%. The outcome highlights a polarized race focused on security and economic reforms.
On Sunday, November 16, 2025, Chile held its presidential election, where no candidate achieved an absolute majority, necessitating a runoff between the top two. According to the Electoral Service (Servel) with 90.15% of polling stations counted, Jeannette Jara from the Pacto Unidad por Chile and PC member received 26.74% of votes, while José Antonio Kast from the Republican Party garnered 24.07%. Trailing were Franco Parisi with around 18-19%, Johannes Kaiser, Evelyn Matthei, and others.
Jara, former Labor Minister under Gabriel Boric's government, rose in prominence due to her role in passing the pension reform after negotiations with the opposition. She joined the political committee in September 2022 and won the officialist primaries against Carolina Tohá, Gonzalo Winter, and Jaime Mulet. Her campaign highlighted agreements and social reforms, though she fell short of the symbolic 30% threshold projected by polls.
Kast, on his third presidential bid, improved from 2017 (7.93%) and 2021 (44.13%, loss to Boric). He focused his discourse on security and the migration crisis, avoiding previous value-based themes. He faced controversies, including clashes with Jara, Boric, and Matthei over alleged social media attacks.
The December 14 runoff will be mandatory voting, with fines of 0.5 to 1.5 UTM for non-voters, except for excuses like illness or distance over 200 km. Jara will seek support from the left and Parisi voters, while Kast will draw from right-wing backers like Kaiser and Matthei.