Preelection: Presidential runoff in Chile
Political AnalisysOn Sunday, December 14, 15.6 million citizens will vote in the presidential runoff to elect Chile’s next president for the 2026–2030 term. The contenders are José Antonio Kast of the Partido Republicano, who leads the polls with around 49.5% of voting intentions, and Jeannette Jara, the governing coalition Unidad por Chile’s candidate, whom surveys place at roughly 36.5%. The winner will take office on March 11, 2026, together with the newly elected Congress defined in the November 16 elections.
After a first round in which none of the eight contenders surpassed 30% of the vote, support from the remaining right-wing candidates quickly consolidated behind José Antonio Kast for the runoff. The endorsements of Johannes Kaiser and Evelyn Matthei were particularly significant, helping to create a favorable scenario for the Partido Republicano candidate. On Jara’s side, the strategy centers on winning over undecided voters and part of the electorate that backed the Partido de la Gente, which finished third in the first round. Although the outlook remains challenging, Jara has run an active campaign in hopes of narrowing the gap by Sunday.