A ‘fearful’ country? Crime concerns grip Chile ahead of presidential race

Domino effect

Chile has astir 15.8 cardinal registered voters, and this year, for the archetypal clip since 2012, each of them are required by instrumentality to ballot successful the statesmanlike race.

Kast is believed to person the precocious manus successful Sunday's run-off.

Though helium came successful 2nd spot during the archetypal circular of voting successful November, helium is expected to expanse up further enactment from blimpish candidates who did not marque the cut-off for the 2nd vote.

But immoderate voters expressed scepticism astir the accent connected transgression successful this year's race.

Daniela Ocaranza, a parent who lives successful a low-income neighbourhood successful Santiago, considers the heightened absorption connected transgression to beryllium a ploy.

She volunteers astatine an organisation that fights for affordable housing, and she thinks politicians are leveraging the uptick successful transgression to person the voters to enactment much resources into security.

“Crime has increased,” Ocaranza acknowledged. “But this happens successful each countries.”

She said the media is partially to blasted successful raising fears. It shows “you the aforesaid transgression 30 times a time — morning, noon and nighttime — truthful the cognition is that determination is more".

“But determination are galore different things that are much important,” Ocaranza stressed, pointing to issues similar education, healthcare and pensions. They are areas that she sees champion addressed by Jara, whom she volition beryllium voting for connected Sunday.

For his part, Johnson said politicians gully up hardline policies to appease residents who privation urgent enactment taken.

But helium noted that probe has shown punitive measures don’t typically nutrient results. In the meantime, helium warned that the outsized fears astir transgression tin person real-world ramifications.

“Today, determination are less radical consuming art, going retired to spot theatre, going retired to restaurants. So it doesn’t conscionable bounds someone’s prime of beingness but besides economical development," Johnson said.

“Fear is highly harmful. It mightiness adjacent beryllium much hurtful than the existent crime.”