Eight presidential candidates clashed in a televised debate on Canal 13, addressing key issues like security, economy, and politics 20 days before the elections. Jeannette Jara led pre-debate polls, while Johannes Kaiser stressed Chile's 'manifest destiny of greatness'. The event was moderated by Soledad Onetto and Iván Valenzuela.
The presidential debate on October 26, 2025, broadcast on Canal 13 from 8:00 p.m., brought together Jeannette Jara (PC), José Antonio Kast (Republican Party), Evelyn Matthei (UDI), Johannes Kaiser (PNL), Franco Parisi (PDG), Harold Mayne-Nicholls, Marco Enríquez-Ominami, and Eduardo Artés. The format included opening minutes, thematic segments on security, economy, and politics, and two rounds of cross-questions.
On security, Kaiser proposed 'death penalty, forced labor, judicial reform, and recovery of our streets', along with strengthening the country's 'moral character'. 'We are a country that must address the need to ensure new generations are sufficient', he said, advocating for a PGU for mothers. Kast called for closing borders and a vandals registry, while Matthei mentioned desert prisons and prioritizing Chileans in health and education.
The economic block saw Kast detail fiscal cuts of '3 billion from state adjustment and another 3 billion from legislative adjustment', without touching gratuity. Artés proposed price fixing, as 'neither the market nor authorities set a fair price'. Jara criticized electricity bill errors and suggested a basic vital consumption of 85 kW. Matthei announced bank-free education credits and hinted at closing Injuv, costing US$9 million.
In politics, Matthei avoided endorsing Kast for a runoff: 'Chile needs to leave the extremes'. Jara distanced from the PC on pardoning Mauricio Hernández Norambuena: 'I see it as quite difficult'. A pre-debate Cadem poll showed Jara at 27%, Kast 20%, Kaiser 14%, and Matthei 13%. The debate ended at 10:34 p.m. without major clashes.
