Chile's Big Shift: Why Voters Picked a Tough-on-Crime Leader

Chile just made a huge political move. They chose José Antonio Kast as their new president. He's known for his strong stance on security and immigration. Kast won big, getting 58% of the votes. His main focus? Making the country safer by dealing with crime and controlling who comes in. Kast isn't new to politics. He's been around for years, even ran for president before. But this time, he really connected with voters. Why? Because crime has been going up in Chile. People are scared. They want someone who will take charge and make things better. He's not alone in this. Other countries in the area are also picking leaders who promise to control crime. Kast beat Jeannette Jara, who wanted to focus on social programs and workers' rights. Kast's win shows that many Chileans care more about safety right now. Kast has some big plans. He wants to send undocumented migrants back to their home countries. He also wants to give the police and military more power to fight crime. He's not messing around. He says he means what he says.But it's not all about crime. Kast also wants to change the economy. He's talking about cutting taxes, making rules easier for businesses, and digging up more minerals like lithium and copper. He wants Chile to work more with the United States and other Western countries, even though China buys a lot of Chile's stuff. Kast's win is part of a bigger trend. Neighboring Argentina just picked a leader who wants to shake things up too. But Kast is different. He's more about order and rules. He's not into big shows or dramatic changes. He just wants to make sure everyone follows the law. Kast has been critical of Venezuela's leader, Nicolás Maduro. He says Venezuela's problems are a warning for Chile. But even with all these plans, Kast might have a hard time getting everything done. His party doesn't have the most seats in congress. Still, his big win shows that Chilean voters are ready for a change.