by Cristobal Chavez Bravo

SANTIAGO, Dec. 16 (Xinhua) -- Chilean far-right candidate Jose Antonio Kast won the presidential election on Sunday by tapping into public concerns over crime and the economy and pledging to form an "emergency government" supported by "disaffected voters," political observers said.

Kast defeated leftist Jeannette Jara by garnering 58.16 percent of the vote, according to the latest figures released by Chile's Electoral Service. He is set to govern the country from 2026 to 2030.

Political scientist Mario Herrera attributed Kast's victory to his success in mobilizing "disaffected voters orphaned by other candidates" in Chile's first presidential election held under mandatory voting rules.

"He did not rely on the traditional hard-right formula. He did not campaign around a culture war, nor adopt an ultraconservative discourse on values," Herrera told Xinhua.

Instead, Kast focused on citizens' immediate concerns, particularly economic hardship and public security, appealing to an electorate in search of simple solutions to everyday problems, Herrera added.

"Kast understood that this election followed different rules from previous ones," Herrera said. "Instead of deepening political polarization, he targeted voters without strong ideological affiliations -- those who tend to be volatile and who often abstained when voting was voluntary."

Manuel Reyes-Jara, an academic at Andres Bello University, pointed to the role of the "political pendulum," which he said swung to the right following years of governance and public debate dominated by the left and center-left.

"This recurring phenomenon in Chilean politics since the return to democracy created a favorable environment for conservative candidates, regardless of individual traits, and is supported by statistical evidence," Reyes-Jara told Xinhua.

He added that growing public concern over insecurity and negative perceptions of immigration also played a key role, issues that Kast "effectively capitalized on" by placing them at the center of his campaign narrative and connecting with fears that were "often amplified by the media."

Publicist and political marketing expert Cristian Leporati highlighted the campaign's communication strategy, saying Kast's victory was largely driven by a clear, consistent message that portrayed Chile as in a state of emergency.

"This idea was conveyed persistently across social media platforms and campaign advertising," Leporati said. "It was a powerful and empathetic concept that resonated with people."

According to Leporati, the campaign built a "well-segmented" narrative tailored to different audiences, while maintaining a steady focus on crime and economic issues, including promises to expel illegal immigrants within the first 90 days of Kast's presidency.

"Since President Gabriel Boric's campaign in 2021, Chile has an electorate capable of voting for the far right in one election and the far left in another," he said. "It is a largely non-ideological electorate, driven by immediate concerns and guided by whichever candidate appears most credible in addressing them."

Kast will become Chile's second right-wing president since the return to democracy in 1990, following Sebastian Pinera, who served two non-consecutive terms from 2010 to 2014 and from 2018 to 2022. In his first address as president-elect, Kast emphasized the need for "order" and pledged to "restore respect for the law throughout the country." Enditem