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Chile runoff election result
José Antonio Kast won Chile’s presidential runoff on Dec. 14 with roughly 58% of the vote to Jeannette Jara’s about 42%.
“Ultra-conservative former congressman José Antonio Kast has been elected Chile’s next president, winning 58.16% of the vote to 41.84% for leftist Jeannette Jara, with more than 99% of polling stations counted.”
Jeannette Jara conceded and outgoing president Gabriel Boric acknowledged the result by calling to congratulate Kast.
Kast will be inaugurated on March 11, 2026.
Multiple outlets reported the margin and the rapid concession.
The Guardian gave the final tally as 58.16% to 41.84%.
AP News reported the wider result and described Kast as an ultra-conservative who framed the win as a mandate to restore "order."
BNO News and NPR also confirmed the outcome and concession.
The win ends years of left-of-center rule and is being read domestically and regionally as a sharp swing to the right.
Immigration and security promises
Kast's campaign was dominated by hard-line public-security and immigration promises.
He vowed mass deportations, stricter border controls and tougher policing measures.
He told undocumented residents they must leave before he takes office or face deportation or prosecution.
News outlets highlighted those pledges, with KSAT and ABC News outlining plans for mass deportations, new maximum-security prisons and expanded police and military powers.
The Irish Times quoted his ultimatum to roughly 330,000 undocumented people that they should leave before March 11 or be expelled 'with only the clothes on their backs'.
CNN, BBC and France 24 noted proposals for an immigration enforcement force similar to U.S. ICE, border walls and emergency government powers.
Kast and Pinochet controversy
Kast’s personal and family history and his praise for Augusto Pinochet were recurring focal points in coverage.
“Kast, the son of a Nazi party member, is an admirer of dictator Augusto Pinochet and a staunch Catholic who opposes abortion and same‑sex marriage.”
Multiple outlets described him as an admirer of the 1973-90 dictatorship, with The Guardian and France 24 explicitly calling him an admirer and the BBC and The Independent recalling the coup and related human‑rights abuses.
Several local and regional outlets reported media claims that his German-born father had been a Nazi party member, and Kast rebutted that his father was a forced conscript.
Rights advocates warned that Kast’s praise for Pinochet and past defenses of the dictatorship raise fears about historical memory, potential pardons for perpetrators, and rollbacks in accountability.
Kast's victory and challenges
Analysts said Kast's victory was driven by public anxiety over security and migration.
Some data and commentators questioned how large those threats actually are.
Analysts warned Kast will confront institutional limits.
Several outlets — BBC, DW and CNN — said fears over crime and irregular migration drove voters.
BBC and Folha de S.Paulo noted Chile's homicide rate remains relatively low.
Those outlets also pointed out Kast lacks a comfortable legislative majority, meaning many proposals will require negotiation.
Americas Quarterly and other profiles emphasized Kast's calmer, pragmatic victory speech and his need to build coalitions to govern.
Reactions to Kast win
Reactions were split: jubilant celebrations in wealthier districts and among right-wing supporters contrasted with alarm from rights groups, left-wing critics and some international observers.
“Kast's victory sparked jubilant celebrations by supporters, some openly praising the Pinochet era, prompting critics to warn of a possible return to repression and efforts to revise Chile’s official view of Augusto Pinochet.”
News outlets described supporters celebrating in Santiago and right-wing figures congratulating Kast, while human-rights campaigners and relatives of dictatorship victims warned that his praise of Pinochet and past calls to pardon agents convicted of crimes against humanity threaten memory and accountability.
Markets and some regional leaders reacted with cautious optimism about economic stability, but analysts warned that many of Kast's bolder promises could face legal, political and fiscal limits.