José Antonio Kast's Presidential Victory in Chile Marks Sharp Turn to Far-Right Politics
In December 2025, José Antonio Kast celebrated with his wife María Pía Adriazola after securing a decisive win in Chile's presidential election, capturing 58% of the vote. This victory represents a dramatic shift to the far right for the South American nation, driven largely by public anxiety over crime and illegal immigration. Kast, a 60-year-old politician with a controversial background, has long been a polarizing figure on Chile's extreme right wing.
Crime Fears Propel Kast to Power in Rural Town of Paine
In the quiet rural town of Paine, just south of Santiago, residents like María Elena Balcázar express palpable fear about rising crime. "We have so much crime here – robberies, guns, drugs, you name it," said Balcázar at her roadside cafe. "Past eight o'clock nobody goes out anymore, everyone is scared. People voted for José Antonio Kast because he promised strong, drastic changes." This sentiment echoes across Chile, where Kast's campaign relentlessly focused on iron-fisted solutions to violence and border security.
Perception Versus Reality in Chile's Crime Statistics
While violent crime has increased in Chile in recent years due to international gangs and illegal migration, the perception of danger far exceeds the actual data. Chile's murder rate in 2023 was six homicides per 100,000 people, triple the 2015 figure but still significantly lower than many Latin American neighbors. Ecuador recorded 46 murders per 100,000 people, Haiti 41, and Mexico and Colombia 25. Only Argentina and Bolivia had lower murder rates than Chile in the region.
Despite this, a 2024 Gallup security report ranked Chile sixth out of 144 countries worldwide where people most fear walking in their neighborhood at night. Rolling news coverage of violent assaults has amplified this fear, contributing to the defeat of outgoing leftist president Gabriel Boric, who had beaten Kast in the 2021 election.
Kast's Controversial Background and Ultra-Conservative Agenda
During his victory speech, Kast announced plans for an emergency government to restore public order, carefully avoiding mention of his hardline moral code. However, his political career is deeply intertwined with support for Augusto Pinochet's dictatorship, under which more than 3,200 people were murdered and 1,469 forcibly disappeared. Thousands more suffered detention, torture, or exile.
In 2021, Kast stated that Pinochet would have endorsed his candidacy. Throughout three terms in congress, he opposed abortion and the morning-after pill while promoting traditional family values. "They simply figured out that, in order to win the presidency, [Kast's team] needed to move away from [Boric's] agenda and say that their priorities are first, public safety, and second, economic growth," explained Claudio Fuentes, a political scientist at Diego Portales University in Santiago.
Family History and Political Evolution
Born in Santiago on January 18, 1966, Kast is the youngest of ten children of German immigrants Michael Kast and Olga Rist. His father was a Nazi party member who served as a lieutenant in the Wehrmacht during World War II. The family were devotees of the hardline Catholic Schoenstatt movement and built a successful meat processing factory and restaurant chain in Chile.
Kast's brother, Miguel Kast, was a key ideologue of the Pinochet regime as part of the "Chicago Boys" economists. José Antonio studied law at Universidad Católica, where he was influenced by conservative lawyer Jaime Guzmán, an architect of Pinochet's constitution. He appeared in campaign ads supporting the dictatorship before the 1988 plebiscite.
After serving as a councillor and three terms in congress with the conservative Independent Democratic Union (UDI), Kast resigned in 2018, claiming the party had strayed from its principles. He founded the Republican Party in 2019, emphasizing "defense of human life since conception," family values, and market economics.
International Alliances and Domestic Concerns
Kast has already begun shaping Chile's foreign policy, drawing criticism for attending Donald Trump's Shield of the Americas security alliance launch and speaking at conservative conferences in Hungary. He has also met with El Salvador's security minister during that country's aggressive crackdown on gangs.
Back in Paine, a memorial stands for the 70 men disappeared by Pinochet's regime – the highest number in any Chilean municipality. Flor Lazo, whose father and two brothers were kidnapped after the 1973 coup, warned, "Truth and justice are on the line. We are on a war footing. We will be watching closely everything the new president does. We will take our fight to La Moneda [presidential palace] if necessary."
As Kast prepares to govern, Chile faces a profound reckoning between his law-and-order promises and the legacy of the dictatorship he admires, with many citizens fearing for human rights and democratic norms under his leadership.
