Politics Shift to the right in Chile: Kast wins presidential election
A political change of direction in Chile: the German-born right-wing politician José Antonio Kast has won the second round of the presidential election against the communist government candidate Jeannette Jara.
15.12.2025, 03:07
SDA
This was announced by the South American country's electoral office. "Chile wants change," said Kast in his victory speech in front of thousands of supporters in the capital Santiago de Chile. "And I tell you, yes, Chile will experience real change".
According to official results, the 59-year-old Republican Party candidate received around 58 percent of the vote in Sunday's run-off election. Jara received almost 42 percent. She conceded defeat. "Democracy has spoken loud and clear," she wrote on the X platform after congratulating Kast by telephone. It was the third time Kast had run for the highest state office.
Irregular migration and increasing crime were very important topics during the election campaign. "We will restore respect for the law," said Kast. The hope of living without fear has won.
Kast will take over the reins of government for four years on March 11, 2026 as the successor to left-wing head of state Gabriel Boric. Boric congratulated the election winner. Around 15.8 million people were called to vote - voting is compulsory in Chile.
US government looks forward to working together
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio expressed his congratulations for the future president. "The United States looks forward to working with his administration to strengthen regional security and revitalize our trade relationship," Rubio wrote on the X platform.
The ultra-liberal president of neighboring Argentina, Javier Milei, congratulated Kast on his victory. He spoke of a further step in favor of freedom and private property in Latin America. "I am very happy about the overwhelming victory of my friend," wrote Milei on X.
Kast is the son of an NSDAP member from Bavaria
Kast, a father of nine and a devout Catholic, comes from an influential family. Like him, several of his siblings were members of parliament or senators, and one brother served as president of the central bank during the military dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet. His father - a former Wehrmacht officer and NSDAP member from Bavaria - had emigrated to Chile after the Second World War and founded a factory for meat and sausage products.
Tough action planned against crime and illegal migration
The election campaign focused on the issues of security and migration. Although Chile is still one of the safest countries in the region, crime has increased in some areas. According to a survey, 63% of Chilean adults are concerned about the security situation - more than in Mexico and Colombia, for example, where there is significantly more crime.
In addition, the proportion of migrants in Chile has recently risen to around ten percent of the population - the majority of whom come from the crisis-hit country of Venezuela. Violent crimes committed by Venezuelans and the presence of Venezuelan gangs are stirring up fear among many Chileans.
Election winner relativizes crimes of the military dictatorship
The right-wing politician has announced a crackdown on crime and illegal migration. The lawyer wants to tighten border security, make irregular entry a criminal offense and deport undocumented migrants. He also announced plans to build new prisons. In order to boost the economy, Kast wants to lower corporate taxes and significantly reduce public spending.
Kast also stands for a conservative social policy. For example, he rejects marriage for same-sex couples and more rights for members of indigenous peoples. Kast also relativized the crimes of the military dictatorship and said during the 2021 election campaign: "If Pinochet were still alive, he would vote for me." In the end, however, he softened his tone and became electable for broader sections of the population.
Mixed results for the outgoing government
The incumbent left-wing President Boric was elected four years ago with the aim of eliminating the severe social disparities and improving the education and healthcare systems. The government did achieve some successes, such as the implementation of a pension reform and the reduction of the working week to 40 hours. However, the government made no progress on other issues such as tax reform and improving the security situation.
