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José Antonio Kast to Take Office as Chile Shifts Right in Latest Election
Jose Antonio Kast vows strict law enforcement, mass deportations, and spending cuts, aligning closely with the U.S. amid concerns over rising crime and immigration, backed by about 60% of voters.
- On March 11, 2026, Jose Antonio Kast was sworn in as president in Valparaíso, becoming Chile's most right-wing leader in over three decades and pledging to tackle violent crime and deport undocumented migrants.
- Kast's campaign capitalized on public anxiety about security and immigration, as voter fears over rising murders and a doubling of the immigrant population since 2017 helped drive support; he borrowed Trump’s playbook and met US allies last week in Florida.
- He filled key cabinet posts with two lawyers who defended Augusto Pinochet and an evangelical anti-abortion activist as incoming women's affairs minister.
- A spat with outgoing President Gabriel Boric over a Chinese submarine cable briefly stalled power transfer, while several right-wing leaders including Javier Milei, Rodrigo Paz and Daniel Noboa attend the inauguration.
- By aligning with US right-wing allies, Kast positions Chile within a new regional security axis after last week's Florida meetings and raised US concerns over Chinese investment in Latin America.
54 Articles
54 Articles
Chile begins a new political cycle. 36 years after Augusto Pinochet’s military dictatorship (1973-1990), a conservative president arrives in La Moneda as he had not seen in these years of democracy. The right-wing came to the government twice with Sebastián Piñera, but the businessman was a rare avis in his political sector. With José Antonio Kast returns the right-wing that connects with Pinochet’s legacy. Sixty-year-old lawyer, nine children, …
María Corina Machado arrives in Chile for Kast’s inauguration and meeting with Venezuelan migrants
Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado has arrived in Chile to attend Wednesday’s ceremony in which Gabriel Boric will hand over the presidency to José Antonio Kast, in a visit that also includes an event with Venezuelan residents in Santiago and several public appearances in the capital. She is among the international guests invited to the transfer of power, where Kast will formally take office at Congress in Valparaíso.
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