The Path to La Moneda: 2025 Chilean Elections

The official government building where the President of the Republic of Chile seats. Photo by Eleonore Dlugosz Donnen, September 2025.

This November Chile will hold their presidential elections, a decisive vote for the political future of the country. These significant elections will require all Chileans to vote to elect the successor to current President Gabriel Boric of the Socialist Party. For these presidential elections, the three frontrunners include: Jeannette Jara, Jose Antonio Kast, and Evelyn Matthei. Jara, representing the Communist Party, retains the majority of support from the left-wing and centre-left parties and is backed by the Unity for Chile coalition. The Republican candidate, Kast, is supported by his own party and by the slightly conservative right-wing coalition, Cambio por Chile. Finally the traditional right-wing candidate, Evelyn Matthei, will represent the Chile Vamos coalition; supported by right-wing parties threatened by the growth of the modern Republican Party.  

Despite the disconnects between the three candidates and their respective coalitions, the elections bear the weight of decades of social tensions and inequality. Despite its status as one of the richest states in South America, Chile is marked by distinct territorial disparities between the mining regions of the north, including Atacama, and the prosperous metropolitan centre of Santiago.

The Chilean people demand concrete social and economic transformations. Communist candidate Jeanette Jara resonates with the common people with focuses on worker protection and a better redistribution of wealth. The alternative candidates put their efforts towards security and economic stability. While both right-wing visions, one focuses more on defending a return to moral and economic rigour while the other seeks to preserve a conservative yet pragmatic liberalism.  

Beyond all these political parties, beyond the three candidates, it is the citizens' confidence in their institutions that is ultimately at stake. Regardless of which coalitions will win and which candidate is elected, Chile will have to continue to reconnect with its authoritarian and unstable history and memory legacy. 

Communist Party of Chile

Jeannette Jara, former Labour Minister is well known and appreciated for her success in reducing the working week to 40 hours. As a presidential candidate, she won the left-wing primaries by a landslide, even defeating the socialist presidential party with more than 60% of the vote in her favor. As the representative of the left and Communist Party in these elections, this is the first time since the end of the dictatorship that a communist candidate so close to entering La Moneda has come this far.

The Partido Communista del Chile (PCC), defends the values of social justice and popular sovereignty. As part of the ‘Unity for Chile’ coalition, which brings together many other left-wing parties, this alliance aims to present the Chilean people with a unified left-wing candidate. They opted for a campaign focused on the economy, bringing in advisers to bolster the credibility of the communist candidate's economic platform. These advisers included Luis Eduardo Escobar, who insisted in numerous interviews that social peace must be achieved with the centre- left. 

Socialist Party

The Socialist Party has consolidated its role within the Unity for Chile coalition, formalised in 2025, particularly keeping in mind this year's presidential elections. With the defeat of the current president Gabriel Boric in the left-wing primaries, it was therefore decided that the Socialist Party would support the Communist candidate who had already served previously as Labour Minister. 

Sharing the Communist Party's values of equal rights and social justice, the Socialist Party is a key member of the Unity for Chile alliance. In hoping that Jeannette Jara will be able to win over the Chilean political landscape, the Socialist Party will be favourable and receptive to the Communist candidate.

Radical Party

The Radical Party of Chile is led by Leonardo Cubillos. In 2025, the Radical Party decided not to field a presidential candidate to support the candidate of the Party for Democracy. After the results of the left-wing primaries were announced however, the Radical Party decided to join the left-wing coalition and support Jeannette Jara. 

The Radical Party defends the values of social liberalism and joins the other parties in the coalition with a shared love of social justice. The Radical Party will therefore support Jeannette Jara in the November elections. 

Christian Democratic Party

The Christian Democratic Party (CDP) has been historically significant as the first president elected after the dictatorship was Manuel Blanco Encalada of the CDP. In 2025, the party decided to join forces with other centre-left parties and also support Jeannette Jara of the Communist Party. This decision led to the resignation of its party president, Alberto Undurraga, as well as his suspension from the Christian Democratic Organization of America; a highly political choice with serious consequences. 

The 2025 program shared common points with the other parties that had rallied behind the Communist candidate, such as reform of the pension system and further protection of workers' rights.

Republican Party

The Republican Party was founded by José Antonio Kast, also representing the party as its presidential candidate. Kast stands out not only as the only man among the three frontrunners for the presidency, but also as a fierce critic of his opponents. In 2024, he faced allegations of using disinformation campaigns against his rivals. The scandal, dubbed the “bot scandal,” involved the use of automated and anonymous accounts to spread misinformation although Kast denies any involvement.

The Republican Party, positioning itself on the far right of the Chilean political spectrum, defends values such as nationalism and economic liberalism with policies focused on upkeeping the traditional family and very strict immigration policies. The party has formed a coalition called ‘Cambio por Chile’ with the Social Christian Party and the National Libertarian Party in order to strengthen the right.

Independent Democratic Union

The Independent Democratic Union is a political party founded by Jaime Guzmán, a former advisor to Augusto Pinochet. Today, it is affiliated with the right-wing coalition called ‘Chile Vamos’ alongside other political parties such as Renovación Nacional and Evopoli. 

Positioning itself as a conservative right-wing party it supports the candidacy of Evelyn Matthei, who embodies values such as public security and strict immigration policies with a fairly traditional view of women's roles. The Independent Democratic Union is part of the Chile Vamos alliance,  the party therefore supports Evelyn Matthei. Although some tensions remain among voters as the emergence of the Republican Party attracted numerous right-wing voters and who could so potentially be seen as an obstacle to the good development of the Chile Vamos Alliance. 

Renovación Nacional

Renovación Nacional is one of the main political parties of the Chilean democratic right, both a liberal and conservative party. Currently led by Rodrigo Garcia, this party is firmly rooted in the right-wing coalition Chile Vamos and therefore supports Evelyn Matthei. 

The bloc agreed that there would be no internal primaries to opt for a strategy of unity behind the candidate. In 2025, their goal is to preserve their influence within Chile Vamos  while continuing to engage with the Republican Party. Nevertheless, their support is unquestionably for Evelyn Matthei, which translates into economic support and territorial networking strategies for her campaign.

Evópoli (Political Evolution) 

Finally, Evópoli is a party that considers itself to be part of the modern liberal right, a new interpretation of the ‘right.’ It champions the values of individual freedoms associated with the market economy, combining this with a modern social awareness (particularly concerning civil rights and diversity), setting it apart from other, more conservative movements. Evópoli is supporting candidate Evelyn Matthei in 2025, participating with numerous gestures of support for the candidate as well as financial investments in her campaign, emphasizing the party's desire to be a central player in the right-wing candidate's campaign.

The November election will not only be decisive of a president from three candidates, it also provides three ways of envisioning Chile’s future. After years of social tension, the Chilean population no longer wants symbols, but concrete action. This election marks a turning point towards an even more social left with Jeannette Jara or a more strict and conservative right with Evelyn Matthei or José Antonio Kast.