# 2025 Chilean general election

The 2025 Chilean general election is scheduled to be held on Sunday, November 16, 2025, to elect the President of Chile, renew all seats in the Chamber of Deputies, and fill half of the seats in the Senate. Incumbent President Gabriel Boric, elected in 2021, is constitutionally barred from seeking a consecutive term. The election will take place amid shifting political dynamics, marked by declining approval ratings for Boric's progressive agenda and growing momentum for right-wing opposition parties.

## Background
### 2021 election and Boric's presidency

The 2021 presidential election saw left-wing candidate Gabriel Boric, a former student protest leader during the 2011–2013 student protests, defeat conservative rival José Antonio Kast in a runoff. Boric's victory was attributed to widespread youth mobilization, dissatisfaction with the center-right administration of Sebastián Piñera, and economic strains following the COVID-19 pandemic. His platform emphasized social equity, feminist reforms, and a "dignified life" for marginalized groups, pledging to dismantle Chile's "patriarchal inheritance."
Upon taking office in March 2022, Boric appointed Chile's first gender-balanced cabinet, with women holding 14 of the 24 ministerial positions. His administration pursued several key policy initiatives, including pension reforms aimed at replacing the privatized system established under Augusto Pinochet and a proposal to nationalize the lithium mining industry. Boric also sought to implement stricter gun control measures and expand LGBT rights, including protections for gender identity. Additionally, his government introduced progressive tax reforms focused on wealth redistribution and worked to secure approval for a new Constitution.

### Declining popularity and opposition resurgence

By mid-2023, Boric's approval ratings had plummeted to 28%, with 66% disapproving of his administration, according to polls. Analysts cited economic stagnation, legislative gridlock, and public safety concerns as primary factors. The right-wing Republican Party, led by Kast, capitalized on this discontent, securing a dominant victory in the May 2023 Constitutional Council elections. Kast declared the results a mandate for "a major change in government," positioning himself as a frontrunner for 2025. Meanwhile, Evelyn Matthei of the Independent Democratic Union (UDI) has also gained traction in opinion polls.

## Electoral system
### President

The President of Chile is elected via a two-round system; a candidate must secure over 50% of the vote to win outright in the first round. If no candidate achieves this, the top two contenders advance to a runoff.

### National Congress

* Chamber of Deputies: The 155 members are elected from 28 multi-member constituencies (3–8 seats each) using open-list proportional representation with the d'Hondt method.
* Senate: The 50 senators serve staggered eight-year terms. Half the chamber (25 seats) is renewed each general election, elected from 16 regional constituencies (2–5 seats each) under similar proportional rules.

## Candidates
### Summary of nominated candidates/pre-candidates

| Candidate | Endorsement | Ideology |
| Eduardo Artés Communist Party (Proletarian Action) | Communist Party (Proletarian Action) | Marxism-Leninism |
| Johannes Kaiser National Libertarian Party | National Libertarian Party | Social conservatism Paleolibertarianism |
| José Antonio Kast Republican Party | Republican Party | Right-wing populism National conservatism |
| Evelyn Matthei Independent Democratic Union | National Renewal Independent Democratic Union | Liberal conservatism Economic liberalism |
| Vlado Mirosevic Liberal Party | Liberal Party | Social liberalism Progressivism |
| Jaime Mulet Social Green Regionalist Federation | Social Green Regionalist Federation | Green politics Regionalism |
| Ximena Rincón Democrats | Democrats | |
| Alberto Undurraga Christian Democratic Party | Christian Democratic Party | |

### Publicly expressed interest

* Rodolfo Carter [es] (Independent Democratic Union–Chile Vamos) Former mayor of La Florida
* Rojo Edwards (Christian Social Party), Senator for Santiago
* Marco Enríquez-Ominami, former Member of the Chamber of Deputies of Chile
* Daniel Jadue (Communist Party), Ex-Mayor of Recoleta
* Franco Parisi (Party of the People), economist
* Gaspar Rivas, Member of the Chamber of Deputies of Chile
* Carolina Tohá (Party for Democracy), former Minister of the Interior (2022-2025)

### Speculated candidates

* Ignacio Briones (Evópoli), former Minister of Finance (2018–2021)
* Eduardo Frei Ruiz-Tagle (Christian Democratic Party), former President of Chile (1994–2000)
* José Antonio Gómez (Radical Party), Minister of Defence (2014–2018)
* Beatriz Sánchez, journalist and former presidential candidate
* Gonzalo Winter, deputy for Santiago

### Refused to run

* Michelle Bachelet (Socialist Party), former President of Chile (2006–2010, 2014–2018)
* Camila Vallejo (Communist Party of Chile–Chile Digno), Minister General Secretariat of Government
* Claudio Orrego, Governor of the Santiago Metropolitan Region
* Tomás Vodanovic (Broad Front), Mayor of Maipú.