As Chile shifts right, its presidential campaign sees competing ultra-conservatives

The 2020s have seen enormous political shifts in Chile. A historic push to replace a constitution drafted during the Pinochet dictatorship saw some of the left’s greatest-ever victories in the country. These culminated with the election of Gabriel Boric, a progressive former student activist who rode a wave of momentum from the constitutional reform drive to become Chile’s 37th president.

But since Boric took office in March of 2022, that momentum has reversed. The proposed constitution, written by a publicly-elected body with a markedly left-wing and anti-establishment character, was firmly rejected by voters in a referendum held later that year. By that time, political headwinds were already headed towards the right, with Boric approval sinking. The next election for a constitutional assembly, now to be guided by a council of experts, saw a shocking victory for the pro-Pinochet nationalists of the Republican Party.

In 2023, Chilean voters were called to vote in another constitutional referendum, with a choice between keeping the Pinochet-era constitution or ratifying a document heavily influenced by modern Pinochetists.

The public opted for the former, keeping their constitution in place. The entire constitutional push was set aside, and Boric, limited to one consecutive term in office, shifted focus to the remaining years of his presidency.

Now, Chile’s presidential election is just a year away, and fortunes for the left have not improved. Boric’s approval ratings remain poor, and the upcoming campaign is set for a knock-down, drag-out battle within the right, with a slate of candidates each hoping to ride a tide of anger to national power.

The frontrunner so far is conservative Evelyn Matthei. Matthei, a former government minister who serves as mayor of the city of Providencia, has run for president twice, most notably in 2013 when she lost to Socialist Party candidate Michelle Bachelet, who had previously served as president. After failing to gain traction for her party’s nomination in 2021, Matthei is now at the top of polls for 2025, and represents a center-right approach.

Also in the mix is last presidential election’s runner-up, Jose Antonio Kast. The leader of Chile’s Republicans, Kast is one of Chile’s chief revisionists of the Pinochet era, described as an “ultra-conservative” in international media. Kast is significantly behind Matthei in polls, however.

Johannes Kaiser, a legislator and former Youtuber who left the Republicans earlier this year, has also declared his plans to run in 2025 with his newly-founded National Libertarian Party. Following his election to parliament, Kaiser outraged the country with unearthed comments made on Youtube that questioned women’s right to vote. Polls that include Kaiser have given him up to 7 percent support.