Chile: a far-right candidate wins the presidential election

Yesterday, Chile elected a far-right president for the first time since the return to democracy. With around 58% of the vote, according to official results based on almost all ballots counted, José Antonio Kast won a clear victory over Jeannette Jara, a moderate communist candidate supported by a broad left-wing coalition. Thirty-five years after the end of Augusto Pinochet's dictatorship, the rise to power of this ultra-conservative marks a major political turning point for the country.

A 59-year-old lawyer, father of nine children, practising Catholic and son of a Nazi who served in the German army during the Second World War, José Antonio Kast was making his third attempt at the presidency. This time, the momentum was clearly in his favour. Although the first round had left the two finalists relatively neck and neck, the combined forces of the right and far right, representing nearly 70% of the vote, left little doubt as to the outcome of the second round.

Kast will take office in March 2026, buoyed by a platform focused on security, order and the fight against illegal immigration. Thousands of supporters celebrated the victory in the streets of Santiago and several other major cities, waving Chilean flags. In front of the headquarters of the Republican Party, founded by Kast in 2019, the president-elect promised to "restore respect for the law in all regions, without exceptions or privileges," saying that "the hope of living without fear" had triumphed. This message echoes the strong sense of insecurity expressed by part of the population, despite crime statistics that are more mixed than his campaign rhetoric suggests.

However, the victory is not without tension. Shortly after the results were announced, groups chanted the name of Augusto Pinochet and brandished portraits of the former dictator, in a country still deeply scarred by the 3,200 deaths and disappearances during the military dictatorship. In Santiago, an initial protest was dispersed by police using water cannons in Plaza Italia, the epicentre of the 2019 social uprising.

Faced with this result, Jeannette Jara acknowledged her defeat without ambiguity. The labour minister of outgoing President Gabriel Boric praised the democratic expression of the vote and said she had contacted the president-elect to wish him success, for the good of Chile. She also called on her supporters to continue their political commitment to improving living conditions in the country.

Internationally, reactions were swift. The United States welcomed the election, seeing Kast's future presidency as a partner on common priorities, including public safety, immigration and trade relations. Argentine President Javier Milei, an ally of Donald Trump, expressed his enthusiasm, calling it a victory for "ideas of freedom" over socialism in the region.

José Antonio Kast comes to power with an ultra-liberal economic agenda and a very conservative social agenda, even though he toned down some of his positions during the campaign. Opposed to abortion and same-sex marriage, and an outspoken defender of the legacy of the military dictatorship (he recently declared that "Pinochet would have voted for me"), he will now have to govern a country divided by deep social and historical rifts. Le Monde

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