2025 Chilean general election

The 2021 presidential election saw left-wing candidate Gabriel Boric, a former student protest leader during the 2011–2013 student protests, defeat conservative rival José Antonio Kast in a runoff. Boric's victory was attributed to widespread youth mobilization, dissatisfaction with the center-right administration of Sebastián Piñera, and economic strains following the COVID-19 pandemic. His platform emphasized social equity, feminist reforms, and a "dignified life" for marginalized groups, pledging to dismantle Chile's "patriarchal inheritance". By mid-2023, Boric's approval ratings had plummeted to 28%, with 66% disapproving of his administration, according to polls. Analysts cited economic stagnation, legislative gridlock, and public safety concerns as primary factors. The right-wing Republican Party, led by Kast, capitalized on this discontent, securing a dominant victory in the May 2023 Constitutional Council elections, resulting in the failed 2023 Chilean constitutional referendum. Kast declared the results a mandate for "a major change in government", positioning himself as a frontrunner for 2025. Meanwhile, Evelyn Matthei of the Independent Democratic Union (UDI) also gained traction in opinion polls. == Electoral system ==

This was the first presidential and congressional election since a constitutional amendment was passed and promulgated on 27 December 2022, restoring compulsory voting for all elections and plebiscites for the first time since 2012, except in primary elections. Eligible citizens who did not vote faced a fine of approximately 33,000 pesos (around US$35). President The President is elected using the two-round system; if no candidate receives over 50% of the vote to win outright in the first round, a second round will be held. National Congress • Chamber of Deputies: The 155 members are elected from 28 multi-member constituencies (3–8 seats each) using open-list proportional representation with the d'Hondt method. • Senate: The 50 senators serve staggered eight-year terms. Half the chamber (25 seats) is renewed each general election, elected from 16 regional constituencies (2–5 seats each) under similar proportional rules. == Presidential candidates ==

Registered Seven of the following eight candidates were registered with the Electoral Service (Servel) Jeannette Jara, as a primary winner, was automatically registered as a candidate on 14 July 2025. Advanced to runoff Eliminated in first round Withdrawn • Félix González (Green Ecologist Party), deputy for District 20 in the Biobío Region, announced his presidential bid on 6 January 2025, saying, "we have decided to collect the signatures to register an ecologist candidacy, because environmental issues are absent from the public agenda." He emphasized urgent social and climate security, adding, "we have the obligation to raise pensions... and face fires, floods, and droughts." González ultimately did not register and did not appear on the November 2025 ballot. • Vlado Mirosevic (Liberal Party, PL), deputy for District 1 in the Arica and Parinacota Region, was proclaimed his party's presidential candidate on 12 October 2024 and planned to run in the center-left primaries. But with the Liberal Party lacking national status, it needed 35,361 signatures to validate his candidacy; by 31 March, it had only 9,851 members. Mirosevic withdrew on 16 April 2025 and endorsed Carolina Tohá. He denied the signature shortfall was the reason, arguing that multiple candidates from the PS, PPD, and PL risked handing victory to the Communist Party, and called Tohá the most competitive option. • Francesca Muñoz (Christian Social Party, PSC), deputy for District 20 in the Biobío Region, was proclaimed her party's presidential candidate on 29 April 2025, following the resignation of Senator Rojo Edwards and amid a new alliance with the Republican and National Libertarian parties. But on 30 June, she ended her bid and endorsed José Antonio Kast, calling the moment one that "demands brave, generous, and responsible decisions," and urging her supporters to back his candidacy. • Ximena Rincón (Demócratas), senator for the Maule Region, was proclaimed as the party's presidential candidate on 15 March 2025. The party indicated it would explore the possibility of joining a primary with other political forces, emphasizing a centrist path "far from the extremes" and aiming for broader parliamentary representation. Rincón framed her prospective campaign around dialogue and moderation, asserting that Chile could "once again be admired and respected around the world." • Alberto Undurraga (Christian Democratic Party, DC), deputy for District 8 and party president, formally withdrew his presidential candidacy on 10 May 2025 during a National Council meeting, following mounting internal criticism and isolation from broader center-left alliances. Though previously proclaimed by the party to run in primaries, the DC's Supreme Tribunal annulled the mandate after no pact was reached and the primary deadline passed. Amid growing dissent and key figures like Ignacio Walker and Genaro Arriagada endorsing Carolina Tohá, Undurraga acknowledged that internal conditions were not conducive to a viable candidacy. He cited the need to avoid damaging the party and pledged to focus on parliamentary negotiations and promoting the DC's programmatic agenda. She cited the lack of support from other parties and the need to back a unified candidacy within the center-left, which consolidated around Carolina Tohá. Vodanovic stated that continuing her campaign would have required political conditions that did not materialize and emphasized the importance of unity against the right. Declined • Michelle Bachelet (Socialist Party), former president of Chile (2006–2010, 2014–2018), announced on 5 March 2025 that she would not run for a third term, stating that "good politics demands renewal." Her decision ended months of speculation within the ruling coalition. In a statement from her foundation Horizonte Ciudadano, she said others in her sector were "valuable and capable", and pledged to support whoever is ultimately chosen to represent the center-left in the November election. • Rodolfo Carter (UDI–Chile Vamos), former mayor of La Florida • Rojo Edwards (Christian Social Party, PSC), senator for Santiago, was briefly considered a potential presidential candidate by the PSC. In an initial internal vote, he was selected without unanimous support from the party's parliamentary members. However, at a second meeting, Edwards rejected the political guidelines set by the PSC for its presidential nominee. On 23 April 2025, the party's national leadership revoked his candidacy, citing the need for a candidate aligned with its political project. On 28 April 2025, he resigned from the party. • Daniel Jadue (Communist Party), former mayor of Recoleta, declined to pursue a presidential bid after his party proclaimed Labor Minister Jeannette Jara as its candidate on 5 April 2025. Jadue, under house arrest in connection with the "People's Pharmacies" case, had previously expressed interest in returning to the race. Communist Party president Lautaro Carmona announced that Jadue would instead run for deputy in the 9th district, replacing Karol Cariola, who is seeking a Senate seat in Valparaíso. However, that deputy candidacy did not materialize either because the Election Certification Tribunal (Tricel) excluded Jadue from the electoral register and barred him from appearing on the ballot, effectively preventing him from running for deputy. • Rodrigo Mundaca (ind.), Governor of the Valparaíso Region (2021-) • Claudio Orrego (independent, ex-DC), re-elected governor of the Santiago Metropolitan Region on 24 November 2024, declined to pursue a presidential candidacy despite speculation following his electoral victory. In a press conference after meeting President Gabriel Boric at La Moneda, Orrego ruled out a presidential run, stating, "My only plan is to be governor for the next four years," and said, "We'll have to look for other leaderships." • Gaspar Rivas, member of the Chamber of Deputies of Chile • Beatriz Sánchez (independent, pro-Frente Amplio), journalist and former presidential candidate • Camila Vallejo (Communist Party of Chile–Chile Digno), Minister General Secretariat of Government • Tomás Vodanovic (Frente Amplio), Mayor of Maipú. Speculated • Ignacio Briones (Evópoli), former Minister of Finance (2018–2021) • Eduardo Frei Ruiz-Tagle (Christian Democratic Party), former President of Chile (1994–2000) • José Antonio Gómez (Radical Party), Minister of Defence (2014–2018) ==Parliamentary candidates==

On 1 September 2025, all candidates for the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate were announced; 1,091 candidates for the Chamber of Deputies and 130 for the Senate: • Change for Chile: Coalition of right-wing parties formed by the Republican Party, the Social Christian Party (PSC), and the National Libertarian Party (PNL). • Unidad por Chile: Coalition of the ruling center-left and left-wing parties: Frente Amplio (FA); the Communist Party (PC); the Socialist Party (PS); the Party for Democracy (PPD); the Radical Party (PR); the Liberal Party (PL); and the Christian Democrats (DC), the latter of which is not part of Boric's government. • Chile Grande y Unido: right-wing coalition of the traditional right-wing Chilean parties composed of National Renewal (RN); the Independent Democratic Union (UDI); Political Evolution (Evópoli), and Democrats. • Greens, Regionalists and Humanists: coalition formed by the Regionalist Green Social Federation (FRVS) and Humanist Action (AH). • Popular Ecologist, Animalist, and Humanist Left: coalition formed by the Humanist Party (PH) and the Equality Party (PI). ==Campaign==

First round The campaign for the general election officially began on 17 September 2025 and with eight presidential candidates, the main contest was between Jeannette Jara and José Antonio Kast. A polarising election, the campaign's main concerns were rising gang violence and migration from Venezuela, rather than traditional economic or social issues. Among Kast's campaign pledges were cuts to public spending and the creation of an police force against illegal migration inspired by the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Analysts also expected the results could pave way for more market friendly initiatives as Kast was favored to win. In general terms, right-wing and far-right parties proposed fiscal austerity measures, promotion of private investment, reduction of the state and tough security policies such as militarization, mass deportations and police defense. Jara, for her part, advocated for greater state intervention, expansion of social benefits such as basic income, regulation of prices for essential services, strengthening gun control, and temporary biometric registration for immigrants. Jeannette Jara started it with an event involving women in the La Pintana neighborhood of Santiago while José Antonio Kast started his campaign in the city of Temuco. Throughout his campaign, Kast used bulletproof glass at his rallies, a fact that was criticized by Jara. ==Endorsements==

President Jara emerged as the leading candidate in the first round with 27% of the vote, followed closely by José Antonio Kast with 24%. However, as no candidate obtained the required majority to win the presidency outright. As a result, the election proceeded to a runoff between Jeannette Jara and José Antonio Kast on 14 December 2025. Third place went to Franco Parisi, who obtained 20% of the vote, a surprising result given he had been polling at under 10%. Kaiser received 14% of the vote, and fifth place went to Evelyn Matthei, who received 12% of the vote, a significant defeat as she was expected to come third and had led the polls for several months at one point in the campaign. The other candidates received less than 5% of the votes. He received the second-highest percentage of the vote since Chile's transition to democracy. Kast received 7.2 million votes, the highest ever vote total in Chile's history. He won all regions of the country, with Jara only winning the overseas vote. Chamber of Deputies In the Chamber of Deputies, Unidad por Chile emerged as the largest bloc with 61 seats, followed by Cambio por Chile with 42 seats. Smaller coalitions and parties, including Chile Grande y Unido and the Party of the People, also secured representation. == Reactions and aftermath ==

First round Matthei was the first to make a statement after the results were announced, accepting defeat and pledging her support for Kast in the second round. Kaiser also called for people to vote for Kast in the second round. Kast thanked him for his congratulations and expressed his desire for a "very orderly and respectful" transition, also hoping to hear Boric's views on the country once he assumes the presidency on 11 March 2026. In his first speech as president-elect, Kast stated that "it wasn't one person who won here, Chile won," and when some members of the audience booed Jara's name, he demanded respect and silence, adding that "she took on a very difficult challenge and gave it her all in her own style until the end, and that, at least for me, is something I value." Jara personally congratulated Kast after his victory. In her following public statement, Jara acknowledged defeat and expressed her support for the president-elect "in everything that is good for Chile." Kast was congratulated by several international leaders, including Argentine President Javier Milei, Paraguayan President Santiago Peña, Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa, Bolivian President Rodrigo Paz, Costa Rican President Rodrigo Chaves, Brazilian President Lula da Silva, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum as well as U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, former Colombian President Iván Duque and former Ecuadorian President Guillermo Lasso. He was also congratuled by Spanish politician and leader of the Vox party Santiago Abascal, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez and by Alberto Núñez Feijóo. Colombian President Gustavo Petro criticized Kast's election harshly, stating "Fascism is advancing. I will never shake hands with a Nazi, nor with the son of a Nazi; they are death incarnate. It's sad that Pinochet had to impose himself by force, but it's even sadder now that people are choosing their own Pinochet." Boric's outgoing government responded to Petro's statements, rejecting them and deciding to file a formal protest. The Mapuche Political Platform issued a statement stating that the electoral results "not only signify an electoral defeat for the country's progressive and indigenous forces but also a cultural defeat". The following day, on 15 December, President Boric and Kast held a meeting at the Palacio de la Moneda to prepare for the transfer of power. Parliamentary election After failing to reach the minimum legal threshold of votes, at least 13 candidate political parties may dissolve in the coming months, including the Radical Party of Chile, which has already begun dissolution proceedings after 167 years of history and several elected presidents, Evópoli, and the Social Green Regionalist Federation. == Notes ==