José Antonio Kast, a far-right firebrand and vocal supporter of Israel, has secured the Chilean presidency after winning Sunday’s runoff election with 60% of the vote, marking a dramatic rightward turn for one of Latin America’s most politically polarized nations.
Kast, the son of a former Nazi officer, will succeed President Gabriel Boric, a progressive who made headlines for severing diplomatic ties with Israel in the wake of the October 7 Hamas attacks. The president-elect has long criticized Boric’s foreign policy as ideologically driven and “irresponsible,” vowing throughout his campaign to restore ties with Jerusalem and recalibrate Chile’s global posture.
“Chile’s foreign relations are too relevant to prioritize the whims of a president over the interests of the Nation,” Kast posted on X earlier this year, referencing Boric’s exclusion of Israel from a major air show.
Kast’s victory comes despite his uncompromising stance on Israel in a country with the largest Palestinian diaspora outside the Middle East. His rhetoric on the Hamas attack, Iran’s aggression, and Chile’s national security struck a chord with voters anxious about global instability and domestic unrest.
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