Conservative leads in polls

Jose Antonio Kast, presidential candidate of the far-right Republican Party, votes in the presidential election, in Santiago, Chile, November 16, 2025. Photo: Reuters

Chile ultra-conservative presidential candidate Jose Antonio Kast secured a commanding double-digit lead in the first polls taken since he and a leftist rival advanced to the country’s runoff vote.

Kast was backed by 46% of respondents followed by Jeannette Jara, from the Communist Party, with 34%, according to a Cadem poll published on Monday. It showed 20% of respondents reported they were unsure of who they would support, would annul their vote or would cast a blank ballot. — TCA