Chilean Republican Party member José Antonio Cast votes during the second round of the presidential election.
JAVIER TORRES/AFP via Getty Images
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JAVIER TORRES/AFP via Getty Images
SANTIAGO, Chile — Chile took a decisive turn to the right after Jose Antonio Cast, a hardline conservative, won the runoff of the country's presidential election after a campaign dominated by concerns about crime, migration and economic uncertainty.
More than 95% of the ballots were counted, and Kast, the GOP leader, received approximately 58% of the vote.
His opponent, candidate from the Communist Party of the Russian Federation Jeannette Harawho received just over 41% of the vote, called for defeat and wrote on social media: “Democracy has spoken loud and clear.” Outgoing President Gabriel Boric also called Kast to congratulate him.
When the results were confirmed, the streets filled with car horns and crowds waving Chilean flags filled one of Santiago's wealthiest neighborhoods, eager to hear the president-elect speak.
Caste focused almost exclusively on public safety and immigration issues, warning that Chile was in “crisis” and promising to form what he called an “emergency” government. His message struck a chord in a country rocked by a recent surge in violent crime and growing concerns about illegal immigration.
Supporter of Chilean presidential candidate José Antonio Casta from the Republican Party.
JAVIER TORRES/AFP via Getty Images
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A loyal admirer of former dictator Augusto Pinochet, Caste will be the first president since Chile's return to democracy in 1990 to openly support military rule. His father, Michael Kast, was a member of the Nazi Party who fought in the German army during World War II and then emigrated to Chile in 1950.
Kast is scheduled to take office on March 11, 2026. He promised to give undocumented migrants a chance to leave the country before that date, warning that those who remain risk deportation or prosecution.
His victory follows years of center-left rule and is expected to reshape Chile's political landscape, reflecting a broader regional trend in which security and migration have become crucial electoral issues in several Latin American countries.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio tweeted In his congratulations, he noted that Washington looks forward to “partnering with its administration to strengthen regional security.”
Caste's election victory was also welcomed by far-right libertarians. President Javier Miley in neighboring Argentina, who said his “friend” Caste's victory signaled that Latin America would throw off the “repressive shackles of 21st century socialism.”
