Jose Antonio Kast, Chile's next president, traces politics back to Pinochet era

SANTIAGO — After falling short in two previous presidential bids, Jose Antonio Kast finally secured Chile’s presidency on Sunday, underscoring how his far-right, anti-immigrant platform has gained new traction amid public fears over rising crime.

Kast, 59, defeated leftist candidate Jeannette Jara by a wide margin, winning 58% of the vote and steering the South American nation toward its sharpest shift to the right since the end of the military dictatorship in 1990.

He previously lost to leftist President Gabriel Boric in 2021, when his hardline proposals failed to resonate with voters preoccupied by the COVID-19 pandemic, widespread protests over inequality, and efforts to draft a new constitution.

Public sentiment has since shifted, with Kast’s promises striking a chord among voters increasingly concerned about crime and immigration.

Although Chile remains one of Latin America’s safest countries, the spread of organized crime has driven up the murder rate and weighed on economic growth. Recent high-profile cases, including kidnappings and assassinations, have heightened public anxiety.

Kast has pledged a sweeping crackdown on crime, including the construction of border walls and the creation of a specialized police unit modeled after U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to track down and deport undocumented migrants. Government data show that most migrants in the country are Venezuelans.

“This government caused chaos, this government caused disorder, this government caused insecurity,” Kast said near the end of his campaign. “We’re going to do the opposite. We’re going to create order, security, and trust.”

Drawing inspiration from El Salvador

Kast has looked to the United States for his tough border policies and last year visited the mega-prison system built by El Salvador President Nayib Bukele, a model his platform has cited as an example.

His victory makes Chile the latest Latin American country to swing right, following Bolivia’s election in August and President Javier Milei’s success in Argentina’s October midterm vote.

Like Milei, Kast — a devout Catholic and father of nine — strongly opposes abortion. He has previously said he would repeal Chile’s limited abortion rights and ban the sale of the morning-after pill, though these issues played a smaller role in his campaign. Polls indicate broad public support for maintaining existing abortion laws.

Economically, Kast has proposed more flexible labor regulations, corporate tax cuts, and reduced government oversight. However, analysts expect him to soften proposed spending cuts that many consider unrealistic.

Links to Pinochet

Kast is the son of a German immigrant who was a member of the Nazi Party and an army lieutenant before fleeing to South America after World War II, later founding a successful sausage business south of Santiago. Kast has said his father was forcibly conscripted into the Nazi Party.

He has been married for more than 30 years to Maria Pia Adriasola, a lawyer who frequently appeared alongside him on the campaign trail.

Kast’s eldest brother, Miguel Kast, served as a government minister and central bank president in the early 1980s under the dictatorship of General Augusto Pinochet, a period during which more than 40,000 people were executed, detained, disappeared, or tortured. Miguel Kast was one of the so-called “Chicago Boys” who promoted deregulation and privatization policies.

As a law student, Jose Antonio Kast campaigned for the “yes” vote in the 1988 referendum on whether Pinochet should remain in power, a vote the dictator ultimately lost.

After more than a decade as a congressman for the right-wing Independent Democratic Union party, Kast stepped down in 2016 to pursue the presidency as an independent, winning less than 10% of the vote. He gained momentum in 2021 under the banner of his self-founded Republican Party.

Kast’s political style differs markedly from that of Milei or Bukele, said Nicholas Watson, Latin America managing director at Teneo.

“He is much less flamboyant and more reserved. He is also more of a political insider and did not burst onto the scene the way Milei did,” Watson said.

As a result, many Chileans see Kast as a familiar figure with more than two decades of political experience, according to David Altman, a political scientist at Chile’s Pontifical Catholic University. Altman added that Kast also benefited from growing dissatisfaction with Boric’s administration.

“It’s not that people became more fascist in the space of four years,” Altman said. “People abandoned the left, and with no strong political center, they moved to the right. It was the only place they could land.” -Reporting by Fabian Cambero, Sarah Morland, Alexander Villegas and Lucinda Elliott; Writing by Sarah Morland and Rosalba O'Brien; Editing by Paul Simao REUTERS/Rodrigo Garrido TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY