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Following a conclusive runoff election, hardline politician José Antonio Kast has won the presidential office in Chile.

A Commanding Victory

With over 99% of polling stations reporting, Kast won 58.17% of the vote, overcoming leftist former minister Jeannette Jara, who obtained 41.83%.

This represents Kast's third presidency, having in the past been beaten by the incumbent president, Gabriel Boric, in the 2021 second round.

Platform Centered On Law and Order and Migration

Noted for his staunch socially conservative views and praise for the period of former leader Augusto Pinochet, Kast's platform was mostly built on promises to combat rising crime and drastically restrict immigration.

He repeatedly pointed to foreigners, especially the around 330,000 unauthorized individuals in Chile, for public safety problems. Throughout the campaign, he gave an ultimatum for them to leave before the inauguration or face expulsion.

His policy ideas featured U.S.-style measures such as building camps, high walls, security fences, and strengthening the armed forces presence on the northernmost border.

Part of a Continental Wave

Several analysts view Kast's victory as fitting into a wider conservative wave in Latin America, similar to this year's electoral wins in countries like Ecuador, Bolivia, and Argentina.

However, other pundits also view it as a part of the established rotation of power between left-wing and right governments since Chile's establishment of democracy in 1990.

Governing Lacking a Strong Mandate

Despite his sweeping popular vote win, Kast will not have an clear majority in parliament, not in the lower house or the Senate, even if various right-leaning parties are grouped together.

This legislative situation could challenge his plans, such as a promise to slash public spending by a significant sum within 18 months—a measure for which he has not offered concrete steps.

"There are numerous questions about how a Kast government will be that are uncertain because he has not said his methods for achieve them," said a political science expert.

The professor added, "In terms of fiscal matters, it is highly probable we will see spending cuts typical of the right-wing. However the area with considerably less ambiguity is on public safety, because that has been his flagship issue during the race."