SANTIAGO, Chile — SANTIAGO, Chile (AP) — Chileans will go to the polls Sunday to elect their subsequent president in a polarized election the place safety is entrance of thoughts.

Communist Jeannette Jara and the far-right José Antonio Kast have emerged because the front-runners with campaigns targeted on safety and related proposals that embody strengthening the police, increasing the nation’s jail capability, modernizing and buying new tools and coaching safety forces.

Their guarantees come as Chileans have a rising notion that their nation’s safety is deteriorating. The South American nation, surrounded by mountains and oceans, has traditionally been thought of a protected nation, particularly in comparison with different nations within the area, however now safety is a outstanding subject within the lead as much as elections.

Homicides in Chile nonetheless stay low in comparison with different international locations in Latin America, with 6 homicides per 100,000 folks in 2023, in line with the World Financial institution. Nonetheless, lately, Chile has seen a rise in kidnapping, extortion, contract killing and thefts of cellphones “linked to transnational organized crime” that started in 2021, in line with Hassel Barrientos, head of the Anti-Kidnapping Brigade of the Investigations Police.

Virtually 40% of properties have been attacked final yr and practically 30% of individuals have been victims of some kind of crime, in line with official information. Now, practically 24% of Chileans consider they’re more likely to be the sufferer of a murder within the subsequent 12 months, in line with a report printed in October by the Fundación Paz Ciudadana assume tank.

This has led to rising issues about security that may possible be mirrored on the poll field on Sunday.

The proprietor of a restaurant in Santiago’s bustling Bellavista neighborhood, identified for its bars and nightclubs, mentioned the realm has develop into a scorching spot for robberies, together with of her purchasers.

“I needed to set up distant surveillance cameras, chain the tables, and on weekends I employed a safety guard to assist maintain watch,” mentioned Leidy Paredes.

One other enterprise proprietor in Macul, in southern Santiago, recounted that she suffered two armed robberies as she arrived house.

In a single, the assailants tried to interrupt into the home and ended up assaulting her mom. Since then, the 49-year-old lady — who requested to not be recognized for concern of reprisals — has put in safety cameras and alarms in her house and hires a guard each time she goes to the financial institution.

Allvip, a personal safety firm with over 28 years of expertise, says its requests for brand new purchasers is as much as 40 to 50 per week in comparison with 10 a number of years in the past.

Whereas these companies have been beforehand reserved for the elite, now some center class Chileans are looking for these companies, in line with Karim Zahri, Allvip’s head of safety. Some Chileans have resorted to paying a guard to accompany them on the stroll to their kids’s college or shopping for an armored automotive — though these companies are nonetheless value prohibitive for a lot of Chileans.

In Chile, the non-public safety sector has grown 350% within the final decade, in line with a examine printed in December 2024 by the Nationwide Chamber of Commerce (CNC). This flip to personal safety might be indicative of the dearth of belief within the state.

“The safety that the State is obligated to supply to its residents is poor, resulting in this expense being coated by the non-public sector, which has clearly additionally created a brand new job market,” mentioned Sergio Morales, safety coordinator for the CNC.

Outgoing President Gabriel Boric has promoted a sequence of measures to curb violence, together with the creation of a Ministry of Safety, the approval of a brand new anti-terrorism regulation and the implementation of specialised models devoted to combating completely different branches of organized crime, equivalent to anti-narcotics and anti-kidnapping brigades.

Jara, who served as Boric’s labor minister, pledges to proceed these insurance policies.

“We have to strengthen the state’s presence on the police and jail ranges, however it’s additionally crucial on the neighborhood and group ranges,” Jara advised AP.

Kast is aiming for a hard-line strategy. “We’re going to recuperate order, safety, energy and the authority of the State,” he acknowledged in a current speech.

Paredes, the cafe proprietor, says security is her precedence, even when it means turning exterior the federal government for assist.

“I really feel it in my pockets, however on the finish of the day, my purchasers’ peace of thoughts does not have a worth,” Paredes mentioned.