Chilean woman votes. Photo: El Pais.
Citizens who fail to vote will have a fine ranging from 33,000 to 99,000 Chilean pesos
On Sunday, Chileans will attend to the polls, voting in between eight candidates who are vying to succeed President Gabriel Boric for the 2026-2030 term. The candidates participated in the televised forum, which revealed internal disagreements, primarily within the left-wing bloc to which Boric belongs.
The Chilean presidency is being contested by Jeannette Jara (Communist Party), Evelyn Matthei (Chile Vamos), Jose Antonio Kast (Republican Party), Johannes Kaiser (National Libertarian Party), Franco Parisi (People’s Party); and the independent candidates Marco Enriquez-Ominami; Harold Mayne-Nicholls; and Eduardo Artes.
If none of them obtains a majority of votes on Sunday, a runoff election is scheduled for December 14, where the performance of all candidates will be key to the final results. More than 15.7 million citizens are expected to go to the polls.
On Sunday, representatives to the Chamber of Deputies and half of the Senate will also be elected in only seven regions of the country, which are Arica and Parinacota, Tarapaca, Atacama, Valparaiso, Maule, La Araucania, and Aysen.
The text reads, “Jeannette Jara: ‘Have you noticed that Kast always evades the question and answers with something else? I think that’s not suitable for being president of Chile; one must have clear positions…”
Jeannette Jara has defended autonomy in foreign policy and stated during her campaign closing that international relations are “carried out by the head of state, and in this case it will be me as President of the Republic.”
U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau said they expect to improve the bilateral relationship in the event of a possible change in political leadership, making it clear that Washington is closely watching what kind of partner Chile will be in the coming years.
Citizens who fail to vote will have a fine ranging from 33,000 to 99,000 Chilean pesos, according to the Office of the President. There are exceptions, such as for people who are ill or unable to travel to polling places.
(Telesur)
