• Chileans will go to the polls on Nov. 16 to vote for a new president, 23 Senate seats and all 155 seats in the lower Chamber of Deputies.
• The elections could be a deciding factor in how the country addresses a number of ongoing environmental issues.
• Candidates range from the left-wing Jeannette Jara to conservatives José Antonio Kast, Johannes Kaiser and Evelyn Matthei.
• Whoever wins will have to address the clean energy transition, ongoing land disputes with Indigenous groups, and a controversial mining sector that has clashed with local communities.

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Chileans will go to the polls on Nov. 16 to vote for a new president, 23 Senate seats, and all 155 seats in the lower Chamber of Deputies. The elections could be a deciding factor in how the country addresses a number of ongoing environmental issues, including the renewable energy transition, constitutional rights for Indigenous groups, and the development of its mining sector, most notably energy transition minerals like copper and lithium.

Chile has protected more than 20% of its land mass and more than 40% of its waters, and last year passed legislation with a special focus on peatlands, a major carbon sink. But it’s still short of meeting its 30×30 targets, part of the Global Biodiversity Framework to protect 30% of land and water by 2030.

The country is also dealing with land disputes in southern regions like Araucanía and Biobío, where Indigenous Mapuche groups often reject logging, agribusiness and an ineffective land titling process for ancestral territory. Earlier this year, the Presidential Commission for Peace and Understanding delivered a final report with recommended solutions to the land disputes, but implementation will be up to the next president.

The world’s top copper producer and second largest of lithium, Chile is also a major player in the global energy transition. In recent years, numerous mining operations have been accused of abusing freshwater sources and endangering vulnerable species, raising questions about whether the country needs tighter oversight.

The current president, Gabriel Boric, the millennial progressive who promised systemic change when elected in 2021, will leave office with an approval rating hovering below 30%. His government has been criticized as ineffective against rising crime rates and failing to deliver on major reforms, including a new constitution that was supposed to formalize Indigenous rights.

Chilean law allows presidents to serve two terms, but only if they’re non-consecutive, meaning Boric will have to wait four years should he want to run again. In the meantime, several candidates are fighting for space at the top of local polls in Chile, with political ideologies ranging from far left to ultra-conservative.

If no candidate wins an absolute majority on Sunday, there will be a runoff on Dec. 14.

Lithium extraction plant facilities of the SQM Lithium company near Peine, Chile. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)

Jeannette Jara

Jara served as President Boric’s minister of labor and social provision until stepping down to launch her campaign in April. A lifelong member of the Communist Party, she’s running under the left‑wing Unity for Chile coalition.

Her platform has the most detailed environmental policy of all leading candidates, and the one that most explicitly addresses greenhouse gas emissions, biodiversity loss and the clean energy transition.

In her government plan, she promises that Chile will “assume leadership in combating the climate crisis” by creating new protected areas, including marine parks to regenerate coastal ecosystems. She’s the only leading candidate whose plan mentions the 30×30 targets.

Jara also promises to uphold the High Seas Treaty, or BBNJ, a legally binding agreement entering into force in early 2026 that enables countries to establish marine protected areas in international waters.

She says she wants to constitutionally recognize Indigenous territory and culture, and create a National Council of Indigenous Peoples to represent the country’s 11 Indigenous groups. The council would craft new policies for advancing economic and social development in Indigenous communities.

When it comes to mining, Jara has recognized copper’s importance to the Chilean economy and the larger global energy transition. Over the next four years, she wants to raise copper output by 10%, or to around 6 million metric tons, while also improving environmental oversight and lowering the industry’s carbon footprint, according to her government plan.

For the lithium industry, she says she wants to establish new public-private partnerships to help double output over the next decade. At the same time, she noted the importance of expanding environmental protections in the salt flats where lithium mining is concentrated.

“These ecosystems, which host unique desert life, play a fundamental role in biodiversity and in ensuring water availability for nearby communities,” her plan says.

Presidential candidate Jeannette Jara speaks as the campaign period kicks off for the upcoming general election in Santiago, Chile. (AP Photo/Esteban Felix)

José Antonio Kast

This is Kast’s third run for president. As the founder of Chile’s conservative Republican Party, he ran in 2017 and again in 2021, forcing a runoff with Boric. Should he win this time around, it would represent a swing back to conservative politics focused less on environmental issues and more on law and order and privatization.

Kast’s campaign has included little to no mention of major issues like carbon emissions and protected areas. His government plan briefly mentions support for “development that complements nature” and the need for an “alliance between science and decision-making on natural resources, biodiversity and public policy.”

The plan also mentions addressing water scarcity in the Atacama Desert — specifically the Elqui and Limari watersheds — as well as the regions of O’Higgins, El Maule and Ñuble, in south-central Chile.

With regard to Indigenous land conflicts, Kast calls the violence by Indigenous groups “terrorism” and promises to reclaim “every inch” of territory to state control “without exception” — one of the most extreme stances of any candidate.

“No one can claim ownership of a territory through violence,” his campaign announcement said.

Instead of negotiating with Indigenous communities, he promises to build health centers, schools, community centers and water infrastructure, with the goal of making the Araucanía and Biobío regions a powerhouse for tourism and agriculture.

Presidential candidate Jose Antonio Kast during a campaign rally ahead of general elections. (AP Photo/Esteban Felix)

Johannes Kaiser 

Kaiser is the most conservative candidate on the ballot, having broken away from Kast’s Republican Party to found the National Libertarian Party, which espouses traditional and sometimes even extreme right-wing values. He’s served in the Chamber of Deputies since 2022, representing the 10th district of Santiago.

His government plan includes eliminating “ideological obstacles” in the country’s legislation, including mentions of climate change, Indigenous people and other “globalist dogmas.” He espouses the supremacy of private property and suggests using law enforcement to resolve Indigenous land disputes, in some cases through eviction.

He also plans to strip back policies related to the Escazú Agreement, which protects environmental defenders, and the legally binding ILO Convention 169, which requires countries to consult Indigenous communities about development on their land.

For the mining sector, Kaiser plans to strip back regulations that he argues hinders smaller operations and only allows large firms to survive. He says environmental permits and “socio-environmental conflicts” have slowed investment.

Presidential candidate Johannes Kaiser speaks during a rally ahead of upcoming general elections, in Santiago, Chile. (AP Photo/Esteban Felix)

Evelyn Matthei

A win for Matthei would also mark a return to the right for Chile. The former mayor of Providencia, a commune of Santiago, is running with backing from the center-right Chile Vamos coalition, with a focus on security, private investment and institutional reform. However, she isn’t as conservative as Kast or Kaiser, and her platform is slightly more receptive to the concerns of conservationists and Indigenous communities.

Matthei committed to Chile’s existing goal of cutting carbon emissions in half by 2035 and reaching carbon neutrality by 2050, with a focus on clean technology and the creation of a national carbon offset market. She says she will enforce the peatland law passed last year and “advance the protection of glaciers.”

While she says she wants to strengthen Indigenous rights and resolve the country’s land conflict, her approach relies more heavily on state authority than what was proposed earlier this year by the Presidential Commission for Peace and Understanding. Matthei’s government plan explicitly describes Indigenous people as part of a “single, indivisible Chilean nation,” not one with a separate identity. Her proposed Council of Indigenous Peoples wouldn’t allow for self-governance and would try to resolve land disputes without transferring land ownership.

For lithium, she wants to issue concessions to the private sector for the first time, with simplified restrictions and a faster permitting process. The copper industry would also see regulatory reforms, though she does stress the importance of maintaining current environmental standards.

Presidential candidate Evelyn Matthei. (AP/Esteban Félix)

Banner image: Mapuche Indigenous women commemorate the National Day of Indigenous People as part of celebrations of “We Tripantu,” the Mapuche new year. (AP Photo/Esteban Felix)

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