The upcoming presidential election in Chile pits Jeannette Jara, a communist, against José Antonio Kast, a conservative Catholic. Greg Ip explains in The Wall Street Journal:

Current polls favor Kast and Jara to win the most votes Sunday and then proceed to a runoff, in which Kast is favored. Some polls, though, show far-right candidate Johannes Kaiser closing in on Kast. A YouTube provocateur, Kaiser has talked about a much more radical attack on government, akin to President Javier Milei’s in neighboring Argentina, and a bigger role for the armed forces.

But if it is Kast vs. Jara, this election is likely to solidify Chile’s reputation as a developing world success story, and an example of how institutions can withstand the extremes of right and left wing populism now buffeting the region.

Read more here.