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Strengthening the Foundations of Education: New Research Calls for Systems Reform in the Philippines
MANILA, Philippines, Nov. 15 -- The Asia Foundation issued the following news:
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Strengthening the Foundations of Education: New Research Calls for Systems Reform in the Philippines
The Asia Foundation, in partnership with the Second Congressional Commission on Education (EDCOM II) and the Australian Government, conducted four research studies to examine the roots of the Philippines' learning crisis and chart a path toward systemic education reform in the country and in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM).
The Philippines faces a severe learning crisis, as evidenced
... Show Full Article
MANILA, Philippines, Nov. 15 -- The Asia Foundation issued the following news:
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Strengthening the Foundations of Education: New Research Calls for Systems Reform in the Philippines
The Asia Foundation, in partnership with the Second Congressional Commission on Education (EDCOM II) and the Australian Government, conducted four research studies to examine the roots of the Philippines' learning crisis and chart a path toward systemic education reform in the country and in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM).
The Philippines faces a severe learning crisis, as evidencedby national and international assessments that reveal significant deficiencies in reading and numeracy among children. The consequences ripple through their entire educational journey and beyond. This research collaboration with EDCOM II looks beyond symptoms of this crisis and presents evidence-based, actionable recommendations for reform. This calls for a paradigm shift: from fragmented, reactive measures to sustained, systems-level change.
Back to Basics
At the heart of the research series is a clear message: to improve learning outcomes, education reform must begin with the basics. This means focusing on the foundations: early childhood education, nutrition support in the first 1,000 days of life, literacy by the end of Grade 3, with stronger governance, coordinated systems, and robust support for teaching.
The research also emphasizes that piecemeal reforms won't work: foundational learning and governance reform must go hand in hand. "If we fail to establish these cornerstones, the rest of the structure cannot stand," notes EDCOM II's Fixing the Foundations Year Two Report.
From Research to Action
The studies represent more than academic analysis--taken together, the research provides critical evidence to inform the national reform agenda. "The foundation determines everything that follows," the research team emphasized. "Get this right, and the Philippines can transform learning outcomes for generations to come."
The Second Congressional Commission on Education (EDCOM II), established under Republic Act No. 11899, is a national body tasked with assessing and reforming the education sector from 2023 to 2025. These studies provide the evidence base for that critical work.
In BARMM, this agenda carries added significance: education is not only a social investment, but a peacebuilding imperative. Strengthening early learning systems supports the region's long-term stability and self-determination. "Fixing this ecosystem--aligning policies, financing, workforce capacity, and community engagement--is not simply a technical requirement, but a peacebuilding imperative," the Early Childhood Care and Development (ECCD) Governance and Delivery in BARMM report concludes.
Four Interconnected Studies Linking Foundational Learning and Education Governance
1. Putting Foundational Learning at the Core of Philippine Education Systems Reforms
Foundational learning and core instructional support for ages 0-8 must become the centerpiece of education reform. The study identifies five priority actions: commit to universal learning, measure learning reliably, align systems around this goal, support teachers, and adapt based on results.
2. Realizing Shared Governance: Decentralization of Philippine Basic Education
Decentralization can be effective--if implemented correctly. The study examines how decentralization and shared governance can enhance the education system's responsiveness to diverse learner needs. It emphasizes the importance of the Department of Education leading with a framework for decentralization, bolstering school-based management, enabling local decision-making in schools and local governments, enhancing capacities for redefined roles, and increasing school-level resources.
3. Covering the Last Mile: Early Childhood Care and Development (ECCD) Governance and Delivery in BARMM
Focusing on BARMM, this study highlights the vital link between education reform and the path to lasting peace, which requires a strong educational system with early childhood at its core. The study recommends three pillars for strengthening early childhood care and development: phased devolution of ECCD services, a whole-of-government ecosystem, and stronger local service delivery.
4. Contextualizing Teacher Quality in BARMM: An Education Governance System Study
Teachers are the backbone of learning and inclusion in BARMM, and to fix the foundations, this backbone must be supported. The goal is not to produce more teachers but to enable teachers to teach effectively so learners can learn. This study outlines five strategic pillars that will enable this system to succeed: better regulatory structures, improved workforce planning, enhanced teacher preparation, stronger infrastructure, and continuous professional development.
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About the Partnership
The Asia Foundation's support to EDCOM II reflects its long-standing commitment to evidence-based policymaking and inclusive governance across Asia and the Pacific. This research collaboration is supported by the Australian Government.
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Original text here: https://asiafoundation.org/strengthening-the-foundations-of-education-new-research-calls-for-systems-reform-in-the-philippines/
New Data Shows Blue Island Air Quality Barely Meets Safety Levels, Driving Local Clean Air Advocacy
WASHINGTON, Nov. 15 -- The Hispanic Access Foundation issued the following news release:
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New Data Shows Blue Island Air Quality Barely Meets Safety Levels, Driving Local Clean Air Advocacy
Hispanic Access Foundation has released new community-based air quality data from its El Aire Que Respiramos (The Air We Breathe) Latino community science air pollution monitoring program, conducted in partnership with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The data reveals that average fine particulate matter (PM2.5) pollution concentration in Blue Island, Illinois, is 8.7 ug/m(3)--just below
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WASHINGTON, Nov. 15 -- The Hispanic Access Foundation issued the following news release:
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New Data Shows Blue Island Air Quality Barely Meets Safety Levels, Driving Local Clean Air Advocacy
Hispanic Access Foundation has released new community-based air quality data from its El Aire Que Respiramos (The Air We Breathe) Latino community science air pollution monitoring program, conducted in partnership with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The data reveals that average fine particulate matter (PM2.5) pollution concentration in Blue Island, Illinois, is 8.7 ug/m(3)--just belowthe EPA's annual safety threshold of 9.0 ug/m(3). The findings also show that residents are still exposed to unhealthy air for significant portions of the year, fueling local advocacy for cleaner, healthier air.
Through El Aire Que Respiramos, a Latino-serving church in Blue Island measured PM2.5--microscopic air-borne pollutants that can penetrate deep into the lungs and bloodstream and directly contribute to asthma, lung cancer, stroke, neurological disorders, and prenatal development impairments, and low birth weight--using PurpleAir PA-II-SD sensors.
From January 1 to December 31, 2024, the air pollution monitoring site recorded an average PM2.5 concentration of 8.7 ug/m(3), fluctuating throughout the year, frequently surpassing the EPA's 9.0 ug/m(3) safety limit. The highest number of exceedance days occurred in February, followed by January, while April, May, June, September, and October showed relatively cleaner air days within safe limits.
"These results show that Blue Island's air quality is right on the edge," said Hilda Berganza, Climate Program Manager at Hispanic Access Foundation. "Barely meeting the EPA's safety standard doesn't mean the air is safe for everyone--particularly children, seniors, and people with respiratory conditions. This data is a reminder that clean air advocacy must continue until all communities can breathe healthy air every day."
Using the data collected as real-time evidence of air pollution, air quality monitoring site managers have become educators and advocates--raising awareness among their congregations and broader communities, hosting community workshops, roundtable discussions, and informational events, speaking at public forums, providing public comments, and meeting with local and federal officials to discuss air quality concerns. These efforts have inspired residents to become more civically engaged and to advocate directly to their representatives for cleaner, healthier air.
"People's health, well-being, and future are at stake," said Nikita Sieker, air quality site manager in Blue Island. "I want to raise awareness about the health implications of PM2.5 and help spark a bigger conversation so that our government officials prioritize the reduction of air pollution."
Illinois is one of several states participating in El Aire Que Respiramos, alongside sites in California, Texas, Idaho, and Nevada. The program not only generates local data but also builds national awareness about the inequitable burden of air pollution on Latino communities. Building on this success, El Aire Que Respiramos continues to collect data for 2025. By bringing together science, community experience, and education, the initiative is helping lay the groundwork for more informed, resilient, and proactive Latino communities across Illinois.
To learn more about El Aire Que Respiramos and the Hispanic Access Foundation's work to ensure equitable access to clean air, visit www.hispanicaccess.org.
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Original text here: https://www.hispanicaccess.org/news-resources/news-releases/item/3512-new-data-shows-blue-island-air-quality-barely-meets-safety-levels-driving-local-clean-air-advocacy
WLF Asks Massachusetts High Court Not to Declare Publishing a Public Nuisance
WASHINGTON, Nov. 14 [Category: Law/Legal] -- The Washington Legal Foundation issued the following news release:
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WLF Asks Massachusetts High Court Not to Declare Publishing a Public Nuisance
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Washington Legal Foundation (WLF) today asked the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court to shut down the Commonwealth of Massachusetts's effort to deem Instagram, one of the most popular social media platforms in the world, a "public nuisance" under that state's laws.
The case arises from a suit by the Massachusetts attorney general against Meta and Instagram LLC seeking to deem their wildly successful
... Show Full Article
WASHINGTON, Nov. 14 [Category: Law/Legal] -- The Washington Legal Foundation issued the following news release:
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WLF Asks Massachusetts High Court Not to Declare Publishing a Public Nuisance
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Washington Legal Foundation (WLF) today asked the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court to shut down the Commonwealth of Massachusetts's effort to deem Instagram, one of the most popular social media platforms in the world, a "public nuisance" under that state's laws.
The case arises from a suit by the Massachusetts attorney general against Meta and Instagram LLC seeking to deem their wildly successfulproduct a "public nuisance" because of its high rates of use among young people. Public nuisances are usually things like polluting factories, not publishing others' videos and stories. But the lower state court has allowed Massachusetts's case to go forwarddespite that Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act provides expansive immunity from suit for social media platforms and that the First Amendment protects speech, publishing, and association.
WLF's brief argues that both section 230 and the First Amendment point in the same directionthe attorney general's case must be dropped. As the brief says, "What is the Instagram scroll, the push notifications, the Meta-curated feed that each Instagram user encounters when opening the app, if not the seriatim distribution of many worksa video, a post, a comment, a messageto a subscribing public? There's an English word for thatpublishing." And publishing is what section 230 and the First Amendment both shield from causes of action like the Commonwealth's.
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Original text here: https://www.wlf.org/2025/11/14/communicating/wlf-asks-massachusetts-high-court-not-to-declare-publishing-a-public-nuisance/
Testing Lung Function Earlier May Help Identify Risk for COPD
MIAMI, Florida, Nov. 14 (TNSjou) -- The COPD Foundation issued the following news release:
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Testing lung function earlier may help identify risk for COPD
New study links low lung function in midlife to higher risk of death, poorer quality of life
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Measuring lung function earlier in life would help identify people at risk of developing chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD and allow for more timely interventions, according to a new study in the September 2025 issue of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Diseases: Journal of the COPD Foundation, a peer-reviewed, open access journal.
COPD
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MIAMI, Florida, Nov. 14 (TNSjou) -- The COPD Foundation issued the following news release:
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Testing lung function earlier may help identify risk for COPD
New study links low lung function in midlife to higher risk of death, poorer quality of life
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Measuring lung function earlier in life would help identify people at risk of developing chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD and allow for more timely interventions, according to a new study in the September 2025 issue of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Diseases: Journal of the COPD Foundation, a peer-reviewed, open access journal.
COPDencompasses conditions including emphysema and chronic bronchitis. It is caused by irritants like smoke or pollution, and even genetics. There are an estimated 30 million Americans affected by COPD, yet only half of those people know they have the disease.
Spirometry is used to measure lung function, using forced vital capacity (FVC) and forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1) values to determine the presence and severity of lung disease. Spirometry has been shown to help predict people who are at risk of airway obstruction; however, it is not routinely performed in younger people.
In this new study, researchers examined how lung function may be connected to comorbidities and health-related quality of life and if lung function in middle-aged ever smokers was predictive of long-term mortality risk.
The study used data from the Lovelace Smokers' Cohort of 830 current and ever smokers, aged 40-60 years old, who did not have baseline airway obstruction. Of those, 87 participants were included in a 17-year follow-up cohort. Participants were classified as either low lung or high lung function. The Lovelace Smokers' Cohort is a longitudinal study of people aged 40-75 with at least a 10 pack-year smoking history in the Albuquerque, New Mexico region.
The authors found that participants with low lung function had an increased all-cause mortality risk and worsened health-related quality of life in both the overall and 17-year follow-up groups, regardless of smoking history.
"Spirometry is a simple way health care providers can identify people with low lung function earlier in life, especially for those with a smoking history," said Yohannes Tesfaigzi, PhD, of Mass General Hospital. "Identifying individuals 'at risk' would allow health care providers to focus sooner on interventions, such as smoking cessation programs, that we know can slow lung function decline and make a positive impact on people's long-term health."
To access current and past issues of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Diseases: Journal of the COPD Foundation, visit journal.copdfoundation.org.
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About the COPD Foundation
The COPD Foundation is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to help millions of people live longer and healthier lives by advancing research, advocacy, and awareness to stop COPD, bronchiectasis, and NTM lung disease. The Foundation does this through scientific research, education, advocacy, and awareness to prevent disease, slow progression, and find a cure. For more information, visit copdfoundation.org, or follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn.
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Original text here: https://www.copdfoundation.org/About-Us/Press-Room/Press-Releases/Article/2322/Testing-lung-function-earlier-may-help-identify-risk-for-COPD.aspx
Reason Foundation Issues Commentary: State Attorneys General Ask Congress to Undermine Their State Hemp Laws
LOS ANGELES, California, Nov. 14 -- The Reason Foundation issued the following commentary on Nov. 12, 2025:
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State attorneys general ask Congress to undermine their state hemp laws
The most effective solution to the problem of unregulated hemp products is a workable regulatory framework, not prohibition.
By Michelle Minton, Managing Director
A coalition of attorneys general (AGs) from 39 states and territories sent a letter to Congress on Oct. 24 demanding a federal crackdown on the sale of psychoactive hemp products. In doing so, they are asking the federal government to override the
... Show Full Article
LOS ANGELES, California, Nov. 14 -- The Reason Foundation issued the following commentary on Nov. 12, 2025:
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State attorneys general ask Congress to undermine their state hemp laws
The most effective solution to the problem of unregulated hemp products is a workable regulatory framework, not prohibition.
By Michelle Minton, Managing Director
A coalition of attorneys general (AGs) from 39 states and territories sent a letter to Congress on Oct. 24 demanding a federal crackdown on the sale of psychoactive hemp products. In doing so, they are asking the federal government to override thedemocratic decisions of their own state legislatures, making a mockery of state sovereignty and their own duty to uphold state law.
The AGs argue that the 2018 federal Farm Bill, which legalized hemp with low levels of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), unleashed a flood of intoxicating hemp products across state lines. Their proposed solution is for Congress to impose a nationwide prohibition. The irony is that nearly all of these AGs represent states that have already enacted laws governing these products, ranging from outright bans to treating them like alcohol or folding them into their existing frameworks for legal cannabis. Their request for a federal ban is a direct repudiation of the work done by their own democratically elected legislatures.
This dynamic is perfectly illustrated by Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison. His state has regulated intoxicating hemp edibles and beverages since 2022--a year before establishing the state's adult-use cannabis market--recently imposing new rules on hemp product testing. After facing backlash for signing a letter asking Congress to recriminalize products made legal under Minnesota law, his office clarified that he actually favors a carve-out for those states with "adequate regulatory schemes in place." That nuance, absent from the AGs' letter itself, only highlights the contradiction that these chief legal officers, sworn to uphold the laws of their states, are demanding a federal policy that would nullify them.
Constitutionally, the framework for this issue is clear. Under the long-standing interpretation of the "Commerce Clause," states retain the authority to regulate or ban any class of product they deem threatening to public health or safety, provided their laws do not discriminate against out-of-state producers. Congress does not interfere with this state-level power by authorizing interstate hemp commerce. However, it is up to states to implement their own rules. If attorneys general are concerned that their state laws are being violated, the responsibility of enforcement rests with them, not Congress.
It is not surprising that attorneys general are struggling to enforce state-level restrictions on hemp. However, their frustration is the inevitable consequence of adopting overly restrictive and unenforceable regulatory regimes, rather than a loophole in federal law. As governments have learned repeatedly throughout history, prohibition--and even heavy-handed regulation--does not eliminate demand but pushes it toward unregulated alternatives. This is a lesson these officials should understand firsthand from their own states' experiences regulating cannabis markets.
It is therefore shocking that some of the signatories represent states like Arizona, California, and Colorado, which regulate hemp cannabinoid products under the same strict rules governing their legal marijuana markets. This raises the question of what these signatories believe a federal ban would accomplish, other than dismantling their own functional regulatory systems and handing the market back to illicit actors.
Other states are pioneering more innovative models for hemp regulation that could effectively address the AGs' concerns, if given time. Kentucky, a leading hemp producer, has created a sophisticated dual-track system for regulating hemp-derived products based on their potential to cause intoxication. The Kentucky Department of Public Health maintains an evolving list of cannabinoids categorized as "intoxicating" or "nonintoxicating." Intoxicating products can be sold outside of the state's medical marijuana dispensaries but are subject to strict manufacturing and quality controls, with a pathway for out-of-state products to enter Kentucky's market legally. This approach fosters a compliant market capable of meeting consumer demand, demonstrating that there are many paths to ensuring public safety around adult products.
The outcome of these state-level approaches is still unfolding. But building an effective regulatory regime that can balance public safety and market realities takes time and experimentation. What is certain is that granting the AGs' request would bring this regulatory innovation to a screeching halt, preventing state legislatures from developing the very solutions needed to resolve the enforcement problems currently causing frustration.
A federal hemp ban will prove no more successful than state-level prohibitions because neither eliminates demand. Just as overtaxed and overregulated marijuana markets once drove consumers to hemp, a federal hemp ban will only push them toward more harmful alternatives or back to illicit marijuana.
The most effective solution to the problem of unregulated hemp products is a workable regulatory framework that businesses can comply with and that consumers will accept. State regimes that give adult consumers access to a variety of legal and reasonably priced state-authorized products would do far more to eliminate unregulated products than any ban. Fortunately, this work is already well underway in many states. Their attorneys general should support that effort rather than asking Congress to interfere.
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Michelle Minton is the managing director of drug policy at Reason Foundation.
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Original text here: https://reason.org/commentary/state-attorneys-general-ask-congress-to-undermine-their-state-hemp-laws/
After Year-Long Effort, McDowell County Commission on Aging Employees Free Themselves From SEIU Union Bosses
SPRINGFIELD, Virginia, Nov. 14 -- The National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation posted the following news release:
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After Year-Long Effort, McDowell County Commission on Aging Employees Free Themselves From SEIU Union Bosses
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Majority of employees signed petition demanding Commission stop bargaining with SEIU; success follows months of union stonewalling
Welch, WV (November 14, 2025) - Following an effort lasting more than a year, employees of senior homecare nonprofit McDowell County Commission on Aging have successfully freed themselves from the control of Service Employees International
... Show Full Article
SPRINGFIELD, Virginia, Nov. 14 -- The National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation posted the following news release:
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After Year-Long Effort, McDowell County Commission on Aging Employees Free Themselves From SEIU Union Bosses
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Majority of employees signed petition demanding Commission stop bargaining with SEIU; success follows months of union stonewalling
Welch, WV (November 14, 2025) - Following an effort lasting more than a year, employees of senior homecare nonprofit McDowell County Commission on Aging have successfully freed themselves from the control of Service Employees InternationalUnion (SEIU) 1199 officials. Commission employee John Reeves spearheaded the union removal effort with free legal aid from National Right to Work Foundation staff attorneys.
The success follows Reeves' submission of a petition in which the majority of his fellow employees demanded that their employer stop recognizing the SEIU as their exclusive "representative." Reeves submitted the petition to Commission management in late October. Under the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA), an employer may not engage in bargaining with union officials that lack majority support in a workplace. Commission management announced on November 4 that they had withdrawn recognition from the SEIU union.
West Virginia is a Right to Work state, meaning that union officials cannot enforce contracts that require workers to pay dues or be fired. In contrast, in states like neighboring Pennsylvania and Ohio that lack Right to Work protections, union officials can mandate dues or fees as a condition of getting or keeping a job. However, in both Right to Work and non-Right to Work states, union bosses have exclusive representation power over every worker in a unionized workplace, even those who voted against or otherwise oppose the union.
SEIU Officials Used Litigation to Block Workers From Voting
The effort by Commission employees to oust SEIU union bosses started back in June 2024, when Reeves submitted a union decertification petition to the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB). The NLRB is the federal agency responsible for enforcing federal labor law, a task that includes administering votes to install (or "certify") and remove (or "decertify") unions.
Commission management and SEIU chiefs agreed to the terms of a union decertification vote, which Reeves and his coworkers participated in on July 9, 2024. However, NLRB officials held up the ballot count, claiming that SEIU officials had unfair labor practice charges pending against Commission management.
After six months of delays, Commission officials and SEIU union bosses announced they had reached a settlement in the unfair labor practice case - but a provision of that settlement stipulated that they would "not entertain a new decertification for a...period of four months." A regional NLRB official approved this settlement in its entirety, effectively tossing out Reeves' and his coworkers' ballots. Reeves urged the NLRB in Washington, DC, to reverse this decision, as the regional NLRB had never proven the alleged unfair labor practices, nor had the Commission admitted to them in the settlement.
As of November 2025, Reeves' appeal was still pending, but he and his coworkers have now successfully removed the union through a different process.
"Mr. Reeves' and his coworkers' situation shows that, in practice, NLRB bureaucrats will frequently stifle workers' rights simply to advance the interests of union officials or management," commented National Right to Work Foundation President Mark Mix. "That is antithetical to the overarching purpose of federal labor law, which is to protect workers' free choice, not protect incumbent union bosses' power.
"Currently, the union decertification process is overly complex and prone to legal manipulation, delays, and derailment," Mix added. "It is in dire need of reform, and both the NLRB and federal legislators have a role to play to prevent workers from being trapped under union so-called 'representation' opposed by a majority of employees."
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The National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation is a nonprofit, charitable organization providing free legal aid to employees whose human or civil rights have been violated by compulsory unionism abuses. The Foundation, which can be contacted toll-free at 1-800-336-3600, assists thousands of employees in about 200 cases nationwide per year.
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Original text here: https://www.nrtw.org/news/reeves-seiu-success-11142025/
A Race for Best 'Second' Place: Chile's Presidential Election
DETROIT, Michigan, Nov. 14 -- The Foundation for Economic Education posted the following news:
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A Race for Best 'Second' Place: Chile's Presidential Election
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Security, migration, and economic growth remain central to the debate.
Communist candidate Jeanette Jara is currently leading in all polls for Chile's upcoming Presidential election. Scheduled for November 16, 2025, Jara, former labor minister and candidate for President Gabriel Boric's coalition, looks likely to win, having secured about 30% of the national vote.
Based on a campaign that has distanced itself from the country's
... Show Full Article
DETROIT, Michigan, Nov. 14 -- The Foundation for Economic Education posted the following news:
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A Race for Best 'Second' Place: Chile's Presidential Election
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Security, migration, and economic growth remain central to the debate.
Communist candidate Jeanette Jara is currently leading in all polls for Chile's upcoming Presidential election. Scheduled for November 16, 2025, Jara, former labor minister and candidate for President Gabriel Boric's coalition, looks likely to win, having secured about 30% of the national vote.
Based on a campaign that has distanced itself from the country'smost extreme left, including revisionist positions and support for regional dictatorships (such as Venezuela and Cuba), or even world powers such as China, Jara's position may be surprising.
Chile's political climate is one that has always been wary of the Communist Party, which has for decades struggled to gather the general vote. This is despite being widely popular among younger generations, and some exceptional wins over municipalities like Santiago, with Iraci Hassler, or Recoleta, with Daniel Jadue, who actually lost against President Boric in the last election. The country preferred a 34-year-old progressive candidate over a traditional communist one.
Yet, despite international media coverage of Jara's leading position as part of a leftist surge, the candidate is unlikely to break 40% in a second round. The coalition that has emerged behind her is the result of a calculated, almost defensive move by Chile's left to salvage unity after a period of disarray.
Even so, far from turning red, Chile appears more likely to swing right. Three conservative contenders are each vying for dominance, and one of them will almost certainly capture the presidency in a runoff and secure the remaining 60% of national support: Jose Antonio Kast, conservative and traditional right-wing establishment; Evelyn Matthei, who has taken a mostly centrist, and therefore less incendiary, position; and Johannes Kaiser, a parliamentary member who represents a national and libertarian right.
In a vacuum of leadership and alternatives, Jara seems to have been the unifying compromise. In other words, she is the left's survival candidate. Even if she wins the first round, she would inherit a fractured electorate and a skeptical middle class wary of the Boric administration's stumbles, especially its failure to deliver constitutional reform and growing unease over crime and migration.
The truth is, Boric's government has left many disappointed and frustrated due to a series of incidents that seem to reflect a pattern of inexperience and a lack of capacity to face the country's needs, rather than the implementation of an agenda. For example, in recent months, a "calculation error" led to all households paying a significantly higher electricity bill than they should have, affecting everything from production chains to inflation statistics.
The government's migration policies have also been widely criticized due to the expansion of international criminal organizations. As a result, some previously "invisible" forms of crime have become visible, such as assassinations of political opponents overseas, as was the case with Ronald Ojeda. As such, even long-term left-wing supporters are doubting whether to endorse the communist candidate in November.
The real power in Chilean politics now lies with whoever faces Jara in December's second round. The opposition is fragmented into seven candidates, most of whom do not break the 5% ceiling. Polling consistently shows that the country is seeking security, economic growth, and migration controlan agenda that differs from the left's progressive policies, which tantalizingly promise greater equality and cultural change.
But in this scenario, while Jara leads now, she loses in nearly every hypothetical matchup.
The second-place strongest candidate is Jose Antonio Kast, leader of the Republican Party, who represents the hard-right establishment. His message is based on law, order, and border control, and resonates with voters anxious about crime and migration. Kast is conservative to the core, but not an outsider.
Then comes Evelyn Matthei, the traditional center-right mayor of Providencia and a former presidential contender, has reclaimed moderate and centrist voters who fear the polarizing tone of Kast's base. Matthei's strength is her pragmatism and her ability to draw reluctant centrists and even parts of the center-left.
Johannes Kaiser meanwhile, a libertarian congressman and firebrand YouTuber, has surged recently as the "anti-establishment right." His rise mirrors the populist dynamics seen across Latin America, channeling frustration with traditional elites. He has gained traction among the provinces outside of Santiago, which feel underrepresented by the leading candidates.
A second-round victory for Kast would signal a decisive conservative restoration. A Matthei win would mark a technocratic center-right correction. A Kaiser surprise would represent something more radical: an anti-system wave that could shake Chile's institutions. But in all three cases, the direction is the samerightward.
However, Kaiser is the weaker of the two contenders in a second-round matchup against Jara. Due to his controversial views, he might give the communist candidate a wider proportional support, where she might win not 40% against 60%, but something more like 45% against 55%, indicating a polarized vision of the country. In any case, this fragmented right will likely govern together, but this will depend on the parliamentary results and the percentages each candidate wins.
If Congress leans decisively to the right, any of the alternatives will have the power to legislate on issues that would have been unthinkable four years ago, especially regarding values and societal change.
Chile's 2025 election forecast tells a story of a nation that is evolving rapidly and reacting to its recent events. Analysts should resist the temptation to read the election through the old Cold War lens of "left versus right." The real divide today is between establishment fatigue and political innovation. If you go to any farmers' market or souvenir shop outside the city and actually talk to the people, they will convey one thing: exhaustion and a loss of hope.
The country is clearly fatigued by the continuous crises and political experiments of the last five years, from constitutional processes to the pandemic, and from migration to uncertainty. This election might reflect the need for stability or a punishment for an establishment that has failed to deliver.
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Original text here: https://fee.org/articles/a-race-for-best-second-place-chiles-presidential-election/
