Chile is one of the safest and more stable countries in South America, but a rise in immigration and organised crime in recent years has concerned many voters. Kast regularly drew links between the two.
His critics, though, say the problem is being exaggerated.
One voter in Santiago, Javiera Carrasco, liked some of Kast’s policies but ended up voting for Communist Party member Jara. She said she felt “like a false sense of insecurity is becoming widespread.”
“In other countries, there are much worse things happening than here. It just doesn’t add up for me.”
Chile’s murder rate is now falling, and some studies suggest those born abroad commit fewer crimes on average. But the perception of growing insecurity was the motivation for many of Kast’s voters.
“We are transforming into Colombia, a lot of terrorism, thieves, robbery, society is very unsafe,” one voter Max Struber said.
“It may sound harsh to say it, but we need the government to continue Pinochet’s work. Human rights abuses existed, that’s true. But as a government it was good, we used to have peace and tranquility.”
Kast’s brother was a minister during Pinochet’s dictatorship, and his father was a member of the Nazi party. Pinochet was an army general who led a US-backed military coup in 1973 and established a 17-year-long military dictatorship that was marked by brutal human rights abuses, forced disappearances and free-market economic policies.
