Born in 1974 in Conchali, Santiago, Janet Alejandra Jara Roman Embodies ascension From poverty to top political positions in Chile in the upcoming presidential elections. The daughter of a working-class family marked by the Pinochet dictatorship, He joined the Communist Party (PC) at the age of fourteenIn 1988, he joined the Communist Youth at Valentin Letelier High School.
His initial struggle included Battalions against the regimePainting murals and participating in campaigns such as “No+”. He studied public administration At the University of Santiago, where he headed the student union in 1997, he led protests demanding education funding. This stage She built her profile as a pragmatic activistAlways based on social justice.
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After graduation, Jara joined the Internal Revenue Service (SII) as an auditor, and became Trade union leader of the Inspectors Association. there He defended workers’ rights in post-dictatorship ChileNegotiating with the state and employers.
In 2014, during the second government of Michelle Bachelet, he assumed the position of president Head of the Office of the Undersecretary for Social Security Then he was Undersecretary of the Ministry between 2016 and 2018, for promotions Reforms that expanded pension coverage for freelancers. In 2020, he ran for mayor of Concali for the Communist Party, but lost to the ruling party, Rene de la Vega. Later, she became municipal director in Santiago under Irace Hassler, where she managed projects in vulnerable neighborhoods.
The highlight of her career came in 2022 with the government of Gabriel Buric, who appointed her Minister of Labor and Social Welfare. In this role he led Reducing the working day to 40 hourshe Increase the minimum wage and Restoring 500,000 jobs after the pandemicthrough dialogues with CUT and CPC.
These accomplishments established her as a showcase figure, though she generated friction with hard-line sectors of the PC due to her moderate approach. In April 2025, He won the official primary with 60% of the voteShe defeated her rivals in a low-turnout contest, and consolidated herself as a candidate for the Unidad for Chile coalition, which includes the Communist Party, the Socialist Party and the capital.
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From orthodox fanatic to calculated reformist
At 37, his membership of the presidential council has been a pillar of identity, but in the 2025 campaign it stands as a source of controversy. Moved by social injustice, Jara joined out of transformative conviction, rather than family inheritance, and grew up under leaders like Gladys Marin and Guillermo Tellier.
However, his pragmatism – strengthening alliances with the centre-left – generated criticism from fundamentalists such as Daniel Jadu and Lautaro Carmona. In July, he refused to suspend his struggle, stating that “it’s not on the table”, but in November he developed a development: he is considering freezing it after the second round to “give clear signals” and ease anti-communist stigmas. This development branded her as an implicit dissident within the PC.
Jara has set ideological distances: In September He described Cuba as “not a democracy.”Contrary to the party’s traditional positions, in November he called on Buric’s government to make cuts in the 2026 budget, demanding renewal of housing subsidies and social benefits.
He defended Minister Mario Marcel against Carmona’s attacks, and called for a “renewed computer, not museum pieces.” This generational maturity strains the communist base, but it strengthens its transversal image and attracts it Endorsements like those of more than 200 D.C. leaders Who see it as a “republican rearrangement.”
Jara’s proposals, reflected in the October 2025 Chile Delivers programme, prioritize inclusive growth through 383 measures. And in the economy it creates Presidential Office for Strategic Projects to Attracting investment and training 450 thousand people In technological skills, transforming 150,000 jobs.
Proposal Limits UF in contracts and Strengthening the infrastructure fund For public housing, increasing internal demand through redistribution. In health, Reduces waiting lists With an interoperable clinical registry and 500 telemedicine rooms, making 55% of surgeries outpatient. These initiatives emphasize state efficiency and public-private alliances, and measure progress monthly on the “Dashboard: Chile, the Committed Country.”
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It is proposed in the field of security and migration Fighting organized crime Double the training of Carabineros, build Five new prisons and regeneration of vulnerable neighbourhoods. Establishes migrant labor quotas to meet regional needs and strengthens institutions for orderly arrangement.
In the field of education and care, nursery schools are expanding, Updating university certificates The “4 to 7” program doubled by providing subsidies to caregivers. For housing, enhance a Soil Bank and Tenancy Observatoryand support for victims of emergencies such as the fires of 2024. Jara includes contributions from experts and organizations, and bets on “democratic coexistence” beyond ideology, although it tempers flags such as the end of the AFP or free abortion.
In the November 2025 elections. Gaara keeps driving. Citizen Pulse, November 1 puts it at 29%Surpassing José Antonio Caste (25%) and Evelyn Matthey (20%), with 74% of voters who decided to vote. Cadem’s October poll put it at 28%, followed by Cast at 23%, while Black & White had 30%.
This position reflects its appeal to undecided voters, in a possible scenario of a runoff against the divided right. Five days before the first round, the removal of controls on his budget exacerbated the contradiction with Buric, solidifying it as a moderate change.
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