José Antonio Kast, a conservative politician, has been elected as Chile’s next president, defeating leftist candidate Jeannette Jara in Sunday’s runoff election.
Kast’s Victory
With over 99% of polling stations reporting, Kast secured 58.16% of the vote, while Jara received 41.84%. The son of a Nazi party member and an admirer of dictator Augusto Pinochet, Kast campaigned on a platform of strict law and order and reduced immigration.
Campaign Promises
Kast repeatedly presented migrants as a cause of rising insecurity, and during the campaign, he issued an ultimatum to roughly 330,000 undocumented migrants – most of them Venezuelan – to leave the country before he takes office on March 11 or face expulsion “with only the clothes on their backs.” He pledged to show “great firmness in confronting all those who harm us.”
His platform included plans to build detention centers and border fortifications, including five-metre-high walls, electric fences, and three-metre-deep trenches, along with an increased military presence, particularly on the borders with Peru and Bolivia.
Reactions to the Election
Incumbent President Gabriel Boric congratulated Kast on his “clear victory” and invited the president-elect to a meeting on Monday morning to begin the transition of power. Boric stated Kast “will at some point come to understand what the loneliness of power means, and the moments in which very difficult decisions must be made.”
Jara conceded the election and pledged to lead a “constructive” opposition, while condemning any potential violence. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio congratulated Kast, noting his victory adds another right-wing leader aligned with Donald Trump in Latin America.
Argentina’s President Javier Milei also congratulated Kast, expressing hope that the Americas will embrace “the ideas of freedom.” Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva congratulated Kast and said he would continue working with the Chilean government to strengthen relations and maintain peace in South America.
Political Context
Analysts view Kast’s win as part of a broader rightward shift in South America, with recent elections in Ecuador, Bolivia, and Argentina also resulting in conservative victories. However, some Chilean analysts also see it as a continuation of the country’s historical pattern of alternating between left and right-wing governments since its return to democracy in 1990.
Challenges Ahead
Kast will not have an absolute majority in Congress, even with the support of other right-wing parties. He has pledged to cut public spending by $6 billion within 18 months, but has not detailed how he intends to achieve this goal. Political science professor Rossana Castiglioni of the Universidad Diego Portales noted that while Kast’s security policies are well-defined, many aspects of his government remain uncertain.
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