José Antonio Kast of the far-right Republican Party was elected president of Chile last month in a 58%-to-42% rout of rival Jeannette Jara, the Communist Party standard-bearer.
Campaigning on a promise to expel undocumented migrants and crack down on crime, Kast finished second to Jara in the first round of elections but dominated the runoff.
“Here, a person didn’t win, a political party didn’t win,” Kast said in his victory speech. “Chile won. The hope of living without fear won. We are going to face very difficult times, where we will have to make important decisions, and that requires a cohesive team.”
Kast, 59, promised to bring order back to the streets.
A member of the Chamber of Deputies for 16 years, he founded the Republican Party in 2019. He ran for president two years prior, receiving 8% of the vote, and collected 44% in 2021, when he ran against Gabriel Boric.
With his election, Chile joins Ecuador and Bolivia in what appears to be a right-wing shift in Latin American politics. Honduras could add a fourth domino to the pile should Honduras’s Nasry Asfura be confirmed as winner of last month’s disputed election.
Along with expelling undocumented immigrants, Kast has promised to increase police resources and deploy the military to violent areas. Public debt was expected to reach 42.2% of GDP by the end of 2025. To bring down that figure, Kast says he will implement austerity measures that include cutting $6 billion in public spending over 18 months.
Kast has also promised to live in the Palacio de La Moneda, the traditional seat of the president—the first time a president will live there since 1958.
Plans to boost investment with lower taxes and fewer regulations aim to improve Chile’s GDP growth to 4% annually, up from 2.6% in 2024. This will require negotiation with Congress, where the right wing holds a majority, but will still require center-left votes, especially in the Senate. “Chile is going to have real change, which you will begin to perceive soon,” Kast predicted. “There are no magic solutions here. Things don’t change overnight. This requires a lot of unity, dedication, and many sacrifices from everyone.”