Overview
- Within hours of his inauguration, José Antonio Kast signed six decrees, including three to curb irregular migration, and ordered construction of physical barriers along the Bolivian border.
- He directed the army chief to lead installation of the barriers and moved to tighten border control as part of a rapid security push.
- The new administration opened an audit of all ministries, with Kast asserting the outgoing government left a worse-than-expected fiscal and administrative situation.
- His 24-member cabinet includes two former Pinochet lawyers and an anti-abortion activist to lead the Women’s Ministry, drawing opposition criticism as the right-leaning Congress still requires some center-left votes for key measures.
- A strained transition over a China-linked undersea cable foreshadowed geopolitical friction, while expansive vows to expel roughly 337,000 undocumented migrants and cut $6 billion in spending lack implementation details.