José Antonio Caste won the second round of Chile's presidential election on Sunday, amid voters' concerns about rising crime and migration, marking the country's biggest right-wing swing since the end of a military dictatorship in the 90s.
Kast secured a convincing 58 percent of the vote in the second round, while his opponent, leftist government candidate Janet Hara, won 42 percent of the vote.
Throughout his decades-long political career, Kast has been a consistent hard-rightist. He has proposed building border walls, deploying the military to high-crime areas, and deporting all migrants in the country illegally.
In his first speech at the Republican Party headquarters after his election victory, Kast promised "real change."
"Without security, there is no peace. Without peace, there is no democracy, and without democracy, there is no freedom, and Chile will return free from crime, anxiety and fear," Kast said.
However, he pointed to the difficult road ahead, saying that "there are no magic solutions" and that changes will require perseverance and time.
His victory marks the latest victory for a resurgent right in Latin America, after Daniel Noboa of Ecuador, Najib Bukele of El Salvador and Javier Milley of Argentina came to power before Casto. In October, the election of centrist Rodrigo Paz ended nearly two decades of socialist rule in Bolivia.
Kast has been a candidate in the presidential elections three times, and in the previous one in 2021, he lost to leftist President Gabrijel Borić.
Although many Chileans consider Caste too extreme, he has nevertheless attracted voters increasingly concerned about crime and immigration.
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