José Antonio Kast, a right-wing lawyer, was sworn in as the new President of Chile on March 11, 2026, succeeding the leftist Gabriel Boric. Kast's inauguration marks a radical shift in political direction, with promises of a hard line against crime and irregular immigration under a "government of emergency."
Key points
- Kast took the oath ("Sí, juro") at the National Congress in Valparaíso, receiving the Piocha de O'Higgins from Gabriel Boric.
- His cabinet includes two ministers who were lawyers for Augusto Pinochet (1973-1990).
- Kast resigned from the Republican Party, which he founded in 2017, as a symbolic gesture of independence.
- International attendees included presidents Javier Milei (Argentina), Rodrigo Paz (Bolivia), and Daniel Noboa (Ecuador), and US Under Secretary of State Christopher Landau.
- The transition was marked by tension after Kast accused Boric of withholding information regarding a fiber optic submarine cable project with China.
Why it matters
Kast's assumption of power represents the most radical right-wing leadership in Chile since the Pinochet dictatorship, signaling a significant political realignment in the region.
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