Chile has elected José Antonio Kast as its new president, marking a dramatic shift to the right for the South American nation following a runoff election on Sunday. With nearly complete results showing Kast securing 58.2% of the vote against leftist rival Jeannette Jara, the country is bracing for significant policy changes after decades of center-left leadership and recent social upheaval. The election outcome, closely watched across the region, signals a potential turning point in Latin America’s political landscape and raises questions about the future of Chile’s progressive social programs.
Chile has elected its most right-wing leader since the end of the Pinochet dictatorship, as José Antonio Kast defeated leftist rival Jeannette Jara in Sunday’s presidential runoff. With nearly all votes tallied, Kast secured almost 58.2% of the vote, while Jara received 41.8%.
The election of Kast marks a significant shift for Chile, a nation grappling with social and economic challenges. He declared his intention to restore respect for the law within the country. “Chile has won… Hope for a life without fear has won,” Kast said in his first post-election address.
The 55-year-old lawyer, who will assume the presidency in March, promised sweeping changes, arguing that the country faces serious problems. He identified reducing crime and combating drug gangs, bolstering economic growth, and implementing strict immigration policies as priorities. During the campaign, Kast pledged mass deportations of undocumented migrants.
Kast emphasized that the results of his government’s work won’t be immediate, requiring perseverance, strength, and wisdom. “It will be a difficult year, a very difficult one, because the state finances are not in good shape,” he said, having campaigned on promises of lower corporate tax rates and significant budget cuts. Such reductions in social spending could potentially trigger protests.
Chile experienced widespread social unrest between 2019 and 2020, resulting in approximately three dozen deaths. The protests were fueled by social inequality and a perceived lack of state involvement in healthcare and education, with demonstrators also calling for pension system reform.
In his post-election speech, Kast announced his resignation from the Republican Party of Chile (PRCh), which he founded in 2019, stating his desire to be president for all Chileans. Parliamentary elections were also held in November, after which the PRCh will not hold a majority in the legislature.
Kast’s Family History Includes Ties to Nazis and Pinochet
Celebrations erupted in the Chilean capital overnight as Kast supporters waved Chilean flags, with some also displaying portraits of Pinochet and chanting “Pi-no-chet, Pi-no-chet.” Pinochet’s rule remains deeply divisive in Chile, with many crediting him with rescuing the country from economic crisis and viewing his 1973 coup as a defense against communism.
However, during Pinochet’s regime, over three thousand people were executed or disappeared, and thousands more opponents were tortured. Pinochet died in 2006 at the age of 91 without ever being held accountable for his crimes.
Kast has previously spoken positively about Pinochet’s government and rejected the characterization of it as a dictatorship. Pinochet left office in 1990 after Chileans voted against continuing his rule in a 1988 referendum. Kast, whose father was a member of the Nazi party in Germany during World War II and whose older brother served as a minister under Pinochet in the early 1980s, reportedly voted in favor of extending Pinochet’s government at the time.
Kast’s victory was aided by votes from supporters of other right-wing candidates who did not advance to the runoff. Approximately seventy percent of voters supported right-wing candidates in the first round, with Franco Parisi finishing third. Kast received endorsements from far-right politician Johannes Kaiser and traditional right-wing representative Evelyn Matthei for the second round.
In the first round of voting in November, 51-year-old Jara received 26.85% of the vote, while 55-year-old Kast, who was running for president for the third time, secured 23.93%.
Jara conceded the election. Kast has already spoken by phone with current President Gabriel Boric, and the two are scheduled to meet Monday to discuss the transition of power, which will take place in March 2026.
International Reactions to Kast’s Win
Argentine President Javier Milei, a fellow right-wing leader, was the first foreign leader to congratulate Kast.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio also congratulated Kast on his victory. The United States believes that Chile under Kast’s leadership will “advance our shared priorities, particularly strengthening public safety, ending illegal migration, and revitalizing our commercial relationship,” Rubio said in a statement.
