Chile has long been one of the safer countries in Latin America, yet nearly two in three voters cite crime and violence as their biggest concern, according to an Ipsos poll from October.
Because while the murder rate is still among the lowest on the continent, it has doubled in the past ten years. Other forms of serious crime, such as kidnapping, extortion and violent robberies, have also increased.
All presidential candidates have raised the issue of crime high in their campaigns. “Mano dura” – roughly “iron fist”, or “hard grip” – is the recipe that most present.
Defending Pinochet
The leading candidate on the right, José Antonio Kast, highlights El Salvador's authoritarian President Nayib Bukele and his drastic policies against gangs as a role model. He has promised to build mass prisons based on Bukele's model and to deport all undocumented migrants.
The ultra-conservative Kast is known for his defense of the brutal former dictator Augusto Pinochet. He has previously campaigned for a total ban on abortion and against same-sex marriage, but has toned down those issues in an effort not to scare away potential voters.
"We will restore order, security, power and the authority of the state," he said in a recent speech.
Eight candidates
Earlier this week, left-wing candidate Jeannette Jara criticized Kast for scaremongering after he gave a speech behind bulletproof glass in the coastal city of Viña del Mar, AFP reports.
She accuses the right-wing of "putting hate, fear and despair at the center," but her own campaign is also focused on promises to strengthen the police, expand prison capacity and train security forces.
Jara leads several opinion polls, writes AP. But if there is a second round of elections in December, Kast is expected to win.
In third place in the opinion polls is Johannes Kaiser, who has made a name for himself through his YouTube channel through his statements against immigration and women's rights. Number four in the polls is Evelyn Matthei, a former minister and mayor whose father was in Pinochet's military junta. She also remains on the right wing, but is seen as a more moderate candidate than Kast and Kaiser.
A total of eight people are running for president.
According to the World Bank, Chile reported six murders per 100,000 inhabitants in 2023. The murder rate has more than doubled in a decade and many residents blame foreign criminal gangs.
The crime rate is still low compared to other countries in Latin America, but in recent years the country has seen an increase in kidnappings, extortion, contract killings and cell phone thefts "linked to transnational organized crime" that began in 2021, according to police data.
The private security sector has grown by 350 percent in the last ten years, according to a study published by the country's National Chamber of Commerce in December 2024.
Source: Country Guide/UI, AP
