"The Chilean population took to the streets of Santiago on Monday to express their opinion on the results obtained by both candidates one day after the elections runoff.
Some voter expressed optimism about the fact that a right-wing candidate will keep the “communism” away from Chile. “Latin America is in a very bad shape with the issue of communism, and it is being eradicated, communism is being cleansed from this area of ​​Latin America because communism is not good, not in any part of the world,” said Patricia Ledesma, a Kast supporter. Gisele Avendano, on the other hand, expressed her opposition to the president-elect. “Based on my convictions, I don't agree. Kast is too much of a moralist and won't focus on the people, only on his own moral thinking,” she said. "In my opinion it will be a right-wing government, the one that comes in the next government, because if you add up the three strongest right-wing candidates, who are Kast, Kaiser, and Matthei, it makes more than 50% of the votes," said Guillermo Tudela, a shopkeeper. Jose Antonio Kast, the leader of the Republican Party, became the president-elect of Chile after winning the run-off on Sunday. He received 58 per cent of the vote, compared to Jeanette Jara's 41 per cent. He will assume the presidency on March 11, 2026, beginning a new political cycle with high expectations but also challenges ahead, particularly in a fragmented Congress where his party does not hold an absolute majority."