Overview
- An inauguration in Valparaíso marked Chile’s sharpest move to the right since 1990, with regional figures including Argentina’s Javier Milei and a U.S. delegation led by Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau attending.
- Kast launched an “emergency” focus on crime and migration, initiating tighter controls on the northern border and pledging mass deportations alongside expanded police powers and potential troop deployments.
- He appointed a controversial cabinet that includes two lawyers associated with defending Pinochet’s regime to head the defense and justice portfolios, drawing criticism from opposition and rights groups.
- The government unveiled a $6 billion fiscal reduction over 18 months as Finance Minister Jorge Quiroz ordered a 3% across-the-board cut to ministry budgets.
- To broaden support, Kast resigned from the Republican Party as the right secured control of the presidencies of both congressional chambers, though it still falls short of a majority in the lower house.