US EditionJosé 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.
149 Articles
149 Articles
With José Antonio Kast, Trump has another ally in Latin America. Chile is clearly moving to the right with the new president.
Chile’s new right-wing president Kast to bring country into closer alignment with Trump
Chile has inaugurated a right-wing president who will today signal his intention to bring the copper-rich country into closer alignment with the administration of US president Donald Trump.
New president in Chile is the right-wing politician Kast. He took his oath of office in the city of Valparaíso.
Malay Mail
AlKhaleej TodayWho is Jose Antonio Kast, Chile’s new far-right president?
SANTIAGO, March 12 — Jose Antonio Kast became Chile’s president on his third attempt, becoming the country’s most right-wing leader in over three decades by pledging a firm hand on security and order.The 60-year-old lawyer and father of nine vowed to deport hundreds of thousands of undocumented migrants, mostly Venezuelans.“Pack your things and leave,” he told them on the eve of the vote.Kast claims immigration is a plot by the “radical left” to…
The immigration policy will mark from the beginning the government of José Antonio Kast in Chile. But on the ground, in cities of the north like Arica, the reality points to that many Venezuelan migrants plan to stay Read
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