Thursday, October 30, 2025

LatAm in Focus: Will Chileans Pivot at the Polls?

By Chase Harrison

International lawyer and columnist Paz Zárate discusses the candidates and compulsory voting as the November 16 first round nears.

Apple Spotify Simplecast

Chile’s first-round election is proving difficult to forecast.

Paz Zárate

Eight candidates are in the running to succeed President Gabriel Boric, and five of them are polling in the double digits. “So this feels a little bit like a primary, although it's not a primary election,” said international lawyer and columnist Paz Zárate. “And nobody knows whether to believe the opinion polls or not.”

In this episode, Zárate digs into Chile’s political panorama. On the right, the field is crowded, with several candidates presenting themselves as the anti-Boric option. On the left, Boric’s coalition has coalesced around Jeanette Jara, a former labor minister who is a member of the Communist Party. Many voters, as Zárate explains, are struggling to find a candidate that aligns with their views, and campaign foibles have hurt several of the top contenders, from former Congressman José Antonio Kast to former Senator and Labor Minister Evelyn Matthei. It’s why she thinks there might be a surprising result on election day.

Poll Tracker: Chile's 2025 Presidential Election

Several prominent right-wing leaders are hoping to turn the ideological tide by succeeding Gabriel Boric. See polling for the November 16 first round.

Another factor making this race hard to predict? Compulsory voting. This will be the first presidential election since 2012 in which Chileans must cast a ballot or face a fine.

“I think that compulsory voting is the avenue for the expression of the centrist vote, especially the vote of the elderly population,” said Zárate. “It’s our parents and grandparents who lived through the dictatorship and the return of democracy and who value consensus and centrist, moderate options.”

Aside from older voters, Zárate says another group that compulsory voting could activate at the polls is migrants, who become naturalized after five years in the country. It is estimated that nearly a quarter of a million Venezuelan migrants are on the voter roll, according to electoral authorities.

Zárate also considers the international implications of the vote, digging into the candidates’ foreign policy platforms, and looks at the impact of foreign figures like Javier Milei and Donald Trump on the candidates.

Latin America in Focus Podcast

Subscribe to Latin America in Focus, AS/COA's podcast focusing on the latest trends in politics, economics, and culture throughout the Americas.

This episode was produced by Chase Harrison with executive producer Luisa Leme. Carin Zissis is the host.

For more AS/COA Online coverage of all of Latin America’s 2025 elections, visit our election guide. Send us feedback at latamfocus@as-coa.org. Subscribe on Apple, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you listen to podcasts.

The music in the podcast is by Inti-Illimani for Americas Society. Find out about upcoming concerts at musicoftheamericas.org and consider becoming a member of Americas Society.

Opinions expressed in this podcast do not necessarily reflect those of Americas Society/Council of the Americas or its members.

Share

LatAm in Focus: Will Chileans Pivot at the Polls?

Related

Explore