Jara Leads Presidential Race with Less than 30% Support, Aims to Expand Platform by Incorporating Proposals from Rivals

Jeannette Jara, the candidate from the Unity for Chile coalition, responded to the results of the Presidential and Parliamentary Elections held this Sunday, where she secured first place with a total of 3,476,615 votes, equivalent to 26.85%, according to data from the Electoral Service of Chile (Servel).

Having fallen short of the 30% threshold, the ruling party’s candidate will face off in the second round on December 14 against Republican contender José Antonio Kast, who garnered 3,097,717 votes (23.92%).

In her first speech following her success in the first round, she expressed gratitude to all those who have «accompanied her on this journey,» stating the path is revitalized because starting tomorrow (Monday), she will be moving forward. She announced plans to integrate proposals from her opponents into her platform.

«I want to share that I have been considering the proposals from other candidates and I deeply value the proposal for a VAT refund on medications from Franco Parisi’s program… I also appreciate the sports initiatives included in Harold Mayne Nicholls’ program,» she articulated from the stage set up by her team in the Paris Londres neighborhood.

Furthermore, she highlighted Evelyn Matthei’s proposal to reduce waiting times for cancer patients, stating, «How can we not value the reduction of oncology wait times?».

«Additionally, we will work to recover 400 vulnerable neighborhoods as proposed by Marco Enriquez-Ominami and the artistic centers advocated by Professor Eduardo Artés, just to mention a few proposals that have been part of the public debate,» asserted the former Minister of Labor and Social Security.

“These ideas must be included in the government program of whoever is elected president in the second round; it doesn’t matter who manages to win, but this president should adopt these proposals,” she emphasized.

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«Whoever Wants to Represent Chile Must Listen to All Chileans»

In another part of her speech, she referred to the path she will take to overcome Republican José Antonio Kast in the runoff and reaffirmed that following the victory in the first round, «a new election begins and the challenges are immense, but I don’t know if anything has ever been easy in the life of a regular Chilean, like me».

«The challenges motivate us, raise the bar high, and make us fight for victory. I want to say that I stand from reality: nearly half of Chileans did not vote for me or Kast, and starting tomorrow, we will go out to talk to them and listen carefully. They deserve it. Whoever wants to represent Chile must listen to all Chileans,» insisted the Unity for Chile candidate, emphasizing that in the second round, «there will only be two candidates, with two very different country projects behind them, but also with different leadership styles».

Jara underscored the reforms and laws enacted during her tenure as Minister of Labor, including raising the minimum wage, reducing the workweek to 40 hours, and pension reform.

«Once again, I want to emphasize what we’ve accomplished: we recovered 580,000 jobs, reduced informality by 26%, historically increased the minimum wage, advanced the 40-hour workweek despite opposition, and enacted a pension reform for the country after 43 years,» she recalled.

The public administrator, lawyer, and public management master’s graduate committed to «advance with a vital income of 750,000 pesos».

«And that will not be the only initiative, as I recognize the need to achieve more effective migration control, strengthen public security. Thus, alongside enhancing law enforcement and preventive measures, we will insist on lifting banking secrecy in Chile and tracking down the dirty money,» she stated.

In this regard, she criticized Kast, stating that those who refuse to lift banking secrecy, like the Republican candidate, «I tell you, those who do nothing fear nothing».

«We will have intense days ahead, but those are the types of days I enjoy. What is life for if not to fight against inequality, to live it intensely and joyfully, embracing one another as the only homeland we have? Those who divide us and sow hate are doing a terrible disservice to the future of Chile. From now on, to the Chileans who voted for me and those who did not, I want to say my heart is open and ready to try to convince them and win minds and hearts, not for a position, as that is not what interests me, but for the future of our homeland and especially for our children. Long live Chile!» she concluded.