Name: Chile election: Crime fears, job crisis loom
Uploaded: 2025-11-16T18:51:03.684Z
Duration: 3 min 17 s
Description: Chileans face employment insecurity and economic strain as eight candidates compete in a mandatory presidential vote that could reshape the nation.

Chileans face employment insecurity and economic strain as eight candidates compete in a mandatory presidential vote that could reshape the nation.

Santiago

Chile's upcoming presidential election is being shaped by growing concerns over public safety and economic difficulties. Incidents of crime, including those linked to international gangs, have heightened feelings of insecurity among citizens, while unemployment and slow economic growth remain pressing issues, particularly among women and young people.

The election features eight candidates, with polls indicating a likely runoff between centre-left and right-wing contenders. This year, voting is mandatory, and nearly five million first-time voters could play a decisive role in the results, potentially favoring non-traditional or disruptive candidates.

Chile election: Crime fears, job crisis loom

Luis caught a group of criminals red-handed, as they were trying to rob his house. I came in and found everything turned upside down. I yelled, what are you doing here? The guys escaped through the window. There was a car waiting outside. Luis lives in La Serena, some 500 kilometres north of Santiago. He managed to foil the burglary, and he was not physically harmed, but it left him with a worrying feeling of insecurity. It's more than a feeling, it's a fact that there's a lack of security for the population. People lock themselves away, there's no community life, and that's had a very negative effect on the quality of life. Chile is often seen as one of the safest countries in the region, but the perception of a lack of public safety has increased as international criminal gangs have moved in. These include the infamous Tren de Aragua organisation from Venezuela. Previously almost unknown in Chile, crimes like extortion and kidnapping are spreading. More than a third of such cases are linked to organised crime. Public safety has been at the centre of this year's presidential election campaign. Eight candidates are competing in the first round. Polls show the most likely ones to get through to the second round are the Communist Party's Jeanette Jara, who represents the centre-left, and right-wing candidates, including far-right contenders José Antonio Cast and Johannes Kaiser. Evelyn Maté is running for the traditional right-wing party, the Independent Democratic Union, or UDI. Another major issue is the economy, and especially unemployment. Constanza Palma graduated from one of Chile's most prestigious universities in 2023 with a degree in journalism. Since then, she's struggled to find a job. I have been looking for almost two years. The experience has been quite frustrating. It is a very difficult process. The unemployment rate reached 8.5% during the third quarter of this year. The figure is higher among women and young people like Constanza. Our economy has been growing, but at a low rate. The projected rate is 2.5%, very low compared to the 90s when it was around 7%. That affects employment. We're still not back to pre-pandemic levels. Unemployment, low economic growth and the pension system are voters' main concerns. Unlike the previous polls, voting in this election is mandatory. When people who don't usually vote are forced to do so, like in this election, they often express their anger at the ballot box. People don't express that anger by electing the person currently in power or the one who's been a traditional politician for the last 30 years. Generally, they look for the most disruptive options. The nearly five million first-time voters could tip the balance in the presidential elections this Sunday, and in the likely second round in December.

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