José Antonio Kast was sworn in as Chile’s president on Wednesday, marking the country’s most pronounced shift to the right in decades as voters, alarmed by rising insecurity, backed a broader conservative turn sweeping parts of Latin America.
Kast takes over from left-wing President Gabriel Boric — to whom he lost the 2021 election — at a time when Chileans are increasingly worried about crime and the economy. He has promised to clamp down on migration and lawlessness while boosting growth through deregulation, spending cuts and market-friendly policy.
The transfer of power ceremony was held in the coastal city of Valparaíso, home to Chile’s Congress, and drew several regional leaders including Argentina’s Javier Milei, Ecuador’s Daniel Noboa and Paraguay’s Santiago Peña, as well as Spain’s King Felipe VI.
Security concerns shadowed the inauguration from the outset. A shooting that left a police officer brain dead earlier in the day in the southern city of Puerto Varas prompted Kast to dispatch his newly sworn-in security minister, Trinidad Steinert, to the city immediately after the ceremony.
“There’s going to be a before and an after. Whoever attacks a police officer attacks Chile,” Kast told reporters. “We’re going to find them, judge them and apply the full force of the law.”
Chile is the world’s largest copper producer, and Kast was elected during an economic upswing, but he takes office as the Iran war rattles global markets. The political transition has also been clouded by heightened tensions between the incoming and outgoing administrations over U.S. pressure regarding a proposed Chinese undersea cable project.
“Kast will have to manage an increasingly challenging international geopolitical landscape,” said Guillermo Holzmann, a political analyst at the University of Valparaíso, citing economic risks from the Iran war, Washington’s regional security strategy and China’s growing influence in Latin America. “These decisions will require sophisticated diplomacy and strategic medium- and long-term vision.”
Kast will also face a divided Congress that could hamper his agenda. “Speedy and effective delivery on his three priority issues — security, immigration and the economy — will be essential,” said Nicholas Watson, managing director of consultancy Teneo, adding that a barrage of legislative initiatives is expected over the next three months.
(Reuters)
