Who is Jeannette Jara, the communist leading Chile’s presidential election?

Fears of crime

Yet not each Chileans are convinced. Virginia Peredo, a home worker, told Al Jazeera she “would never” ballot for the left-wing candidate, offering a blunt explanation: “She is simply a communist."

Peredo was 1 of the astir 200 supporters astatine a rally for Jara's right-wing rival Kast successful Copiapo, a mining municipality immoderate 750km (466 miles) northbound of Villa Alemana.

Many of Kast's supporters judge that Jara stands for the presumption quo. Under President Boric, Jara's erstwhile boss, Chile saw a play of dilatory economical growth.

Boric has besides struggled to quell concerns astir an summation successful organised transgression and undocumented immigration. Peredo, for instance, said she is acrophobic to permission the location astatine night.

Although she moved to Chile from Bolivia 10 years ago, she supports Kast’s hardline stance, which includes militarising the country's borders and deporting each irregular immigrants.

“The bully ones tin stay, but the atrocious ones person to go,” Peredo said of immigrants to Chile. "They marque america each look bad."

Candidate Jose Antonio Kast speaks to voters successful Copiapo, Chile [Sophia Boddenberg/Al Jazeera]

Kast, a 59-year-old Catholic and laminitis of the far-right Republican Party, has leaned into those fears of migration and unit to physique his basal of support.

A study released successful April from the University of San Sebastian recovered that enactment linked to organised transgression accrued by 8.4 percent betwixt 2022 and 2023.

“This is not a crisis. It’s an emergency,” Kast told his supporters successful Copiapo.

Christopher Sabatini, elder probe chap for Latin America astatine the deliberation vessel Chatham House, told Al Jazeera that Kast’s “iron-fisted attack to crime” has struck a chord among voters.

“If you look astatine number-one demands, security, transgression and migration are each up there. Those are not what Jara is moving on,” helium said.

Sabatini sees parallels betwixt Kast and the emergence of different right-wing leaders, similar Donald Trump successful the United States and Javier Milei successful Argentina.

In Milei's case, his triumph successful the 2023 statesmanlike contention was seen arsenic a motion of discontent with the left-wing Peronist authorities that was successful powerfulness astatine the time.

“[Kast is] exploiting people’s fears precise effectively, successful the aforesaid mode Millei was capable to exploit people’s hatred with 16 years of Peronism, and Trump was capable to with immigration," Sabatini explained.