fear of crime
But not all Chileans are convinced. Virginia Peled, a domestic worker, told Al Jazeera that she would “never vote” for a left-wing candidate, explaining bluntly: “She’s a communist.”
Mr. Peredo was one of about 200 supporters of Mr. Jara’s right-wing rival, Casto, who gathered at a rally in the mining town of Copiapo, about 750 kilometers north of Villa Alemana.
Many of Kast’s supporters believe that Jara represents the current situation. Under Mr. Jara’s former boss, President Boric, Chile went through a period of slowing economic growth.
Borich has also struggled to allay concerns about the rise in organized crime and illegal immigration. For example, Peled said he was afraid to leave his house at night.
She moved to Chile from Bolivia 10 years ago and supports Casto’s hardline policies, including militarizing the border and deporting all illegal immigrants.
“Good people can stay, but bad people have to go,” Peredo said of immigration to Chile. “They make us all look bad.”
Mr. Kast, a 59-year-old Catholic and founder of the far-right Republican Party, is banking on these fears of immigration and violence to build his support base.
According to a report released in April by the University of San Sebastian, activities related to organized crime increased by 8.4 percent between 2022 and 2023.
“This is not a crisis. This is an emergency,” Kast told supporters in Copiapo.
Christopher Sabatini, senior Latin America fellow at the Chatham House think tank, told Al Jazeera that Casto’s “iron-fisted approach to crime” resonated with voters.
“If you look at the number one demand, security, crime and immigration are all there. Those are not what Jara is doing,” he said.
Sabatini sees parallels between Casto and the rise of other right-wing leaders, such as Donald Trump in the United States and Javier Milei in Argentina.
In Milay’s case, winning the 2023 presidential election was seen as an expression of dissatisfaction with the left-wing Peronist government then in power.
“[Kast is] “Just as Milley was able to exploit people’s hatred with 16 years of Peronism, and Trump was able to do that with immigration, he is very effectively exploiting people’s fear,” Sabatini explained.
