Executive Summary
- The final Chilean presidential debate concluded with no decisive winner, solidifying frontrunners Jeannette Jara and José Antonio Kast as the probable candidates for a runoff election.
- Candidates fiercely debated security, with right-wing contenders advocating for “iron fist” policies against crime, while Jara proposed community-focused security and financial investigations.
- Contentious discussions also covered economic policy and the legacy of the Pinochet dictatorship, revealing deep ideological divides among the candidates.
- Political analysts noted Kast’s disciplined strategy of attacking Jara, who was perceived as being closely tied to the current Boric administration.
In the final presidential debate before Chile’s November 16 election, the leading candidates clashed on major policy issues, but the event concluded without a clear winner. Political analysts suggest the debate solidified the positions of the frontrunners, Jeannette Jara of the government coalition and José Antonio Kast of the Republican Party, as the most likely contenders to advance to a runoff election.
A significant portion of the debate focused on public security. Right-wing candidates, including Evelyn Matthei, Johannes Kaiser, and Kast, advocated for stringent “iron fist” policies to combat organized crime. Matthei stated that criminal groups would be offered only “jail or the cemetery.” In contrast, Jara proposed a combination of enhanced security measures and community-based initiatives, emphasizing the need to lift bank secrecy to trace illicit funds.
On economic matters, right-wing candidates proposed market-oriented solutions for electricity costs, suggesting greater involvement from foreign companies. They also discussed lowering the age for the Universal Guaranteed Pension and raising the minimum wage to approximately $790, while funding these initiatives through reductions in government spending.
The legacy of the 1973-1990 dictatorship under General Augusto Pinochet Ugarte also proved a contentious topic. While Matthei softened previous criticisms of a national plan to find disappeared persons, Kaiser and Kast advocated for amnesty for convicted human rights violators. Jara countered, arguing that for the families of the disappeared, the “wound remains open.”
According to political analysts, the debate was largely aimed at swaying undecided voters. Kast was observed focusing his strategy on attacking Jara, linking her to the current administration of President Gabriel Boric Font. Analysts also noted that while Jara performed well, she struggled to distance herself from recent controversies surrounding the Boric government, with some suggesting her message was tailored more for her existing supporters than a broader audience.