Conservative José Antonio Kast has been elected Chile’s next president, defeating Communist Party candidate Jeannette Jara. Kast won more than 58% of the vote.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio celebrated the victory, stating, “The United States congratulates President-Elect José Antonio Kast of Chile on his electoral victory. Under his leadership, we are confident Chile will advance shared priorities to include strengthening public security, ending illegal immigration, and revitalizing our commercial relationship. The United States looks forward to working closely with his administration to deepen our partnership and promote shared prosperity in our hemisphere.”
In his victory speech, Kast declared, “Chile needs order — order in the streets, in the state, in the priorities that have been lost.” He added, as per NBC News, “We are inviting you on a journey to recover values for a proper and healthy life. It won’t be easy. It requires everyone’s commitment.”
Kast’s campaign spokesman, Arturo Squella, told reporters that Kast’s team is “very proud of the work we’ve done. We feel very responsible for this tremendous challenge of taking charge of the crises that Chile is going through,” PBS News reports.
Jara conceded to Kast, writing on social media, “Democracy spoke loud and clear. I just communicated with the President-elect @joseantoniokast to wish him success for the good of Chile.”
“To those who supported us and were rallied by our candidacy, rest assured that we will continue working to advance a better life in our homeland,” she wrote. “Together and standing tall, as we have always done.”
