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ARTICLE · 17 MARCH 2026

José Antonio Kast: Chile's New President Takes Office

Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer LLP
Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer LLP
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Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer LLP

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On March 11, 2026, conservative politician José Antonio Kast assumed office as Chile's newly elected president after a victory in December 2025, obtaining 58.16% of the vote (with over seven million ballots)...

GlobalStrategy

On March 11, 2026, conservative politician José Antonio Kast assumed office as Chile's newly elected president after a victory in December 2025, obtaining 58.16% of the vote (with over seven million ballots) defeating Jeannette Jara, former President Boric's Minister of Labor. Kast's election aligns with recent electoral outcomes that have favored right-leaning candidates in Latin America including in Costa Rica, Ecuador, Bolivia, as well as in Argentina's mid-term elections, which saw increased support for Milei's party.

Chile's economy has gradually recovered from the social unrest in 2019 and the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, with inflation falling from 25% at its peak in mid-2022 to around 3% by the end of 2025. Despite this improvement, the past four years have seen slow GDP growth, averaging 1.9% (the second lowest since the return to democracy), with unemployment maintained at roughly 8%. A further challenge for the incoming Kast administration is the structural

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