MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

No clear winner in Chile's last debate before Nov. 16 presidential elections

Jara and Kast remained the most likely contenders to advance to the runoff

The last debate between Chile's eight presidential candidates late on Monday had no clear winner, but there was some sort of consensus regarding a clear loser: Eduardo Artés of the Proletarian Action Communist Party.

Also participating in the third event of its kind ahead of next Sunday's polls were the frontrunners Jeannette Jara (Government coalition plus Christian Democracy) and José Antonio Kast (Republican Party) -who are the contenders most surveys agree would move on to the runoff- as well as Evelyn Matthei (Chile Vamos), Franco Parisi (People's Party), Johannes Kaiser (National Libertarian Party), Harold Mayne-Nicholls (Independent), and Marco Enríquez-Ominami (Independent)

Right-wing and far-right candidates reiterated their support for extreme “iron fist” policies. Matthei insisted that organized crime groups, such as the Tren de Aragua, would only be offered the options of “jail or the cemetery.” Similar terms were used by Kaiser, Kast, and Parisi. On the other hand, Jara pushed for measures involving security and attention to community organizations. She also highlighted the need to lift bank secrecy to follow the money trail of crime.

Regarding electricity fares, the right-wing candidates suggested expanding or giving total freedom to the market by increasing the presence of foreign companies in the country. These contenders also hinted at the possibility of lowering the qualifying age for the Universal Guaranteed Pension, eliminating public servant and political party expenses, and raising the minimum wage to CH$750,000 (about US$790).

The discussion on governance focused on the legacy of the 1973-1990 dictatorship, specifically the future of the Punta Peuco prison and the National Search Plan for the disappeared. Matthei retracted previous criticisms of the National Search Plan, while Kaiser and Kast advocated for amnesty for human rights abusers and eliminating certain pensions for dictatorship victims. Opposing them was Jara, who argued that for those with loved ones who went missing under General Augusto Pinochet Ugarte's regime, the “wound remains open.”

Analysts also agreed that Kast focused more on attacking Jara than on answering questions directly. He claimed she meant a continuation of the current government of President Gabriel Boric Font.

The experts also concurred that Monday's event was more about persuading undecided voters than ratifying their stances before their supporters. In this vein, Jara was found to have played for her own crowd instead of the larger audience. Additionally, analysts highlighted Kast's strategic clarity and disciplined approach.

Jara's good performance was shadowed by the fact that she is perceived as a follow-up of Boric's administration, including its most recent controversies, which she could not fully escape. Other analysts believed Jara's message aimed at seducing the constituency for the second round, her first-place finish on Sunday already secured, long before the last debate.