Turning the tides
Chile Elects Pro-Israel Right Winger as Next President
José Antonio Kast received upwards of 58% of the vote in the South American country, and will be sworn in next March. The Catholic father of nine is proudly pro-Israel, and is considered the most right-wing leader of Chile since the fall of the Pinochet regime.
Chile elected far right politician José Antonio Kast as its next president on Sunday, delivering him a decisive victory in the second round of the presidential election and marking a sharp political turn after four years of left wing rule.
With nearly all ballots counted, official results showed Kast securing roughly 58 to 60 percent of the vote, defeating Jeannette Jara, a moderate communist and former labor minister under outgoing President Gabriel Boric, who won about 40 to 42 percent. Jara conceded shortly after the results were announced, pledging to lead a “demanding and responsible” opposition.
Kast’s victory makes him the most right leaning leader to govern Chile since the end of Augusto Pinochet’s military dictatorship in 1990, a comparison that has fueled both celebration and anxiety across the country. Speaking to supporters in Santiago, Kast framed the result as a mandate for public security, a central theme of his campaign. “The hope of living without fear has prevailed,” he said, promising to restore respect for the law amid what he has described as rising crime and insecurity.
Celebrations broke out in several cities, particularly in the capital, where thousands of supporters gathered. The night was not without tension. At some rallies, chants praising Pinochet were heard, reviving painful memories of the 1973 to 1990 military regime that left more than 3,200 people dead or disappeared. In Santiago, police dispersed an early protest by Kast’s opponents at Plaza Italia, a long standing focal point for social unrest.
A practicing Catholic and father of nine, Kast ran on a hard line platform centered on law and order, including promises to expel hundreds of thousands of undocumented migrants. He is also known for his outspoken pro Israel stance, sharply contrasting with Boric, who severed diplomatic ties with Israel following the October 7 Hamas attacks and was a vocal critic of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government. Kast repeatedly condemned Hamas as a terrorist organization and accused Boric of allowing ideology to override Chile’s national interests.
Kast’s family history has drawn renewed attention following his win. His father, Michael Kast, served in the German military during World War II and was a member of the Nazi Party, a fact documented by archival records. Kast has said his father was forcibly conscripted and rejected claims of ideological commitment.
Kast is set to be sworn in this March, taking office in a deeply polarized country facing sharp political and social divisions, and expectations of a confrontational presidency from day one.