Kast wins election in Chile, brings the right back to power and takes over a divided country

Lawyer José Antonio Kast was elected president of Chile this Sunday (14), marking the return of the right to La Moneda Palace after four years of left-wing government. With the counting practically concluded, the Republican Party candidate obtained around 58% of the votes in the second round and defeated the government candidate Jeannette Jara, from the Communist Party, who received approximately 42%, according to data from the Electoral Service (Servel).

The victory makes Kast Chile’s most right-wing president since the end of Augusto Pinochet’s dictatorship (1973–1990), 35 years ago. The new president will take office in March and will have to govern in a complex political scenario, marked by a fragmented Congress and without clearly defined majorities.

Shortly after the results were announced, Kast supporters took to the streets of Santiago to celebrate the victory. In his first speech after confirming the triumph, the president-elect classified the moment as “a day of joy” and sought to adopt a conciliatory tone.

“This is not a personal victory, it does not belong to José Antonio Kast. It does not belong to a party that I am proud of. Here, Chile won, and with it the hope of living without fear”, he stated.

During his speech, Kast asked for respect for his opponent after part of the audience booed when Jeannette Jara’s name was mentioned. “Respect is essential, because if we don’t earn it, the division will continue. She may have a different ideology, but she is a person like us. She accepted a very difficult challenge and remained faithful to her style until the end. A government is not built only with supporters, the opposition is also important”, he said.

Jara acknowledged his defeat on Sunday and confirmed that he called the president-elect. “Democracy spoke loud and clear. I just spoke to President-elect José Antonio Kast to wish him success for the good of Chile,” he wrote in X. In a later speech, he stated: “I do not want a divided country. We will be a proactive and demanding opposition, working to improve the lives of our people. And, at the same time, we will be firm in protecting what has been achieved.”

The current Chilean president, Gabriel Boric, also contacted Kast and wished his successor success. “I want him to know that, as president of the Republic, I will always be available to serve the nation”, he declared, in a televised message.

Kast’s victory resonated internationally. Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva stated that he will continue working with the new Chilean government “in favor of strengthening excellent bilateral relations”. The United States Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, said he trusts that Chile will advance in “shared priorities”, such as public security and combating illegal immigration.

A devout Catholic, father of nine children and former congressman for 16 years, Kast built his campaign around a hard-line agenda against crime and immigration. Among his main promises are the deportation of around 340 thousand irregular immigrants, the militarization of borders, the creation of a specialized police force along the lines of the American ICE and the tightening of public security policies. He also advocates easing labor laws, reducing corporate taxes and less economic regulation.

The president-elect has already declared that he intends to revoke limited abortion rights in Chile and ban the sale of the morning-after pill. When asked about the topic during the last debate, he stated: “I support life from conception to natural death”.

Throughout the campaign, Kast avoided emphasizing themes that earned him rejection in previous disputes, such as his open defense of Pinochet’s dictatorship — about which he already stated that, if the former dictator were alive, he would vote for him. Journalistic investigations also found that his father, born in Germany, was a member of the Nazi Party, something that Kast denies, stating that he was forcibly recruited by the German Army during the Second World War.

Despite the impressive victory, analysts point out that Kast will not have a simple path in Congress. Although right-wing coalitions made progress in the legislative elections, there is no guarantee of unity among conservative parties, which could make it difficult for the new government to approve central projects.

The election ends a cycle that began in 2021, when Boric beat Kast in a second round and led Chile to the most left-wing government in its recent history. Now, with the alternation of power, the country enters a new political chapter, marked by polarization, high expectations regarding public security and economic challenges that the president-elect himself recognized: “We will have a difficult, very difficult year, because the country’s finances are not in a good situation”.