Republican Party candidate Jose Antonio Kast secured a commanding victory in Chile’s presidential runoff election on Sunday, defeating leftist opponent Jeannette Jara.
Kast won with 58.17% of the vote, while Communist Party member and former Labor Minister Jara got 41.83%.
Jara conceded defeat shortly after the initial tally, saying “democracy spoke loud and clear.”
“I just spoke with President-elect Jose Antonio Kast to wish him success for the good of Chile,” Jara posted on X.
In a victory speech at the headquarters of his Republican Party in the upscale neighborhood of Las Condes in Santiago on Sunday evening, Kast pledged “real change.”
“Without security, there is no peace. Without peace, there is no democracy, and without democracy there is no freedom, and Chile will return to be free of crime, anxiety and fear,” he said.
