Chile
President José Antonio Kast’s First 100 Days
Bettina Horst
Executive Director, Libertad y Desarrollo, Chile
President, RELIAL 2022–2024
I. Introduction: Apprehensions Regarding a Kast Administration
June 18 marked the first 100 days of President José Antonio Kast’s administration. To analyze this initial phase, it is necessary to situate the analysis within the context of the evolution of Chilean politics over the past decade.
Beyond a specific assessment of the measures adopted during these first few months, one of the questions surrounding his rise to power was whether he would indeed lead a far-right government or whether, on the contrary, his administration would operate within the traditional frameworks of Chilean democracy.
II. The Emergence of the Republican Party and the Reconfiguration of the Right
President Kast, initially a member of the Independent Democratic Union (UDI) and a member of Congress for 16 years representing that party, ended his membership in 2016 to launch a new political project that, according to his own definitions, would more faithfully represent the values of the right.
Since the return to democracy in 1990, the UDI had been part of a center-right coalition and represented an electorate that identified more clearly with right-wing positions than with centrist views within that coalition.
A decade ago, a significant group of members, along with José Antonio Kast, left the UDI with the aim of building a new political force that would better embody the party’s founding spirit, thereby forming the Republican Party.
The creation and subsequent growth of the Republican Party were perceived as the emergence of a force situated to the right of Chile’s traditional right. From its inception, it competed electorally independently of the historic center-right coalition.
Its rapid electoral growth reflected the disenchantment of certain sectors of the right with the more centrist orientation that the traditional parties of that sector had adopted.
Added to this were the conservative values espoused by José Antonio Kast himself and by several prominent figures in the Republican Party, which helped establish the image of a political project associated with a conservative ideology. For example, on issues related to the protection of unborn life, euthanasia, and same-sex marriage, the Republican Party has taken more conservative positions in the public debate than those of the more liberal right.
III. The Presidential Election and the Concept of an “Emergency Government”
During the presidential campaign, Kast’s candidacy strongly promoted the idea of the need for an “emergency government.”
His analysis pointed to three major simultaneous crises: a labor crisis, characterized by rising unemployment; an economic crisis, stemming from stagnation and low growth rates; and a public order crisis, associated with the rise of organized crime, increasing violence, and a growing sense of lack of control over irregular immigration.
This narrative successfully resonated with citizens’ main concerns regarding public order, security, and economic opportunities.
Kast was ultimately elected in the runoff election with 58% of the vote. It is worth noting that the candidate from the traditional right garnered just over 12% of the vote in the first round, finishing in fifth place.
Under the logic of an emergency government, both the campaign platform and the public debate avoided addressing value-based issues, allowing the existing differences between the conservative and liberal sectors of the right to be set aside.
IV. The Expansion of the Political Coalition
Leading up to the presidential runoff—in which he faced the Communist Party candidate and former minister in President Boric’s administration—Kast sought to broaden his support base.
This allowed him to rally various sectors that had previously united among the 62% who voted to reject the first constitutional text proposed by the Constitutional Convention in 2022, whose content reflected the positions of the country’s hard-line and radical left—similar to that observed in other countries in the region under the banner of “21st-Century Socialism.”
The new political spectrum incorporated not only the right and the center-right but also sectors from the center-left that had distanced themselves from the more radical positions adopted by their former parties.
This broadening was subsequently reflected in the composition of the cabinet, which includes representatives of various political persuasions, including former Christian Democrats and Radicals, members of the Concertación—the center-left coalition that governed for several decades—as well as some of the most prominent figures from the traditional center-right. For example, the current ministers of Energy and Agriculture were also part of the cabinet during President Bachelet’s second administration, a government with a marked socialist orientation.
V. The Complex Economic Landscape and the Initial Drop in Popularity
The domestic and international economic conditions under which the new government took office proved to be considerably more complex than anticipated.
The war in the Strait of Hormuz and the sharp rise in oil prices forced the government to pass these higher costs on to the local economy, leading to a nearly 30% increase in fuel prices.
Although targeted measures were implemented to support various sectors of the economy and segments of the population, the political impact was significant, and the president’s approval rating fell from 57% to 36%.
The government defended this decision by arguing that, between responsibility and popularity, it had chosen the former.
At the same time, the new administration had to contend with a fiscal situation that was worse than initially anticipated, accompanied by a stagnant economy, rising unemployment, and tighter budgetary constraints. The outgoing administration’s fiscal deficit estimate for this year was -1.8% of GDP, which the new administration revised upward to 2.4%. This was a result of the previous government’s overestimation of revenues and underestimation of committed expenditures. Regarding employment, while the unemployment rate has hovered above 8% for the past 40 months, in recent months it has climbed above 9%. With regard to economic growth, initial projections for this year put it at around 2%, but now that the first half of the year has passed, it is likely that the economy will grow at rates closer to 1.5%, which would be lower than the economic growth achieved during the previous administration.
Faced with a deteriorating fiscal situation, the government has had to implement cuts in public spending, which has come at a political cost, even though these measures enjoyed broad support during the campaign.
VI. The Government’s Inauguration and the Learning Curve
A significant portion of the initial difficulties can be attributed to the Republican Party’s lack of governing experience.
The party did not participate in President Piñera’s administrations, although some of its members did hold positions in those administrations.
While the cabinet included leaders from the traditional center-right, a significant portion of the government team lacked prior experience in public administration.
This caused difficulties during the transition phase and led to a rapid le
arning process that culminated in a cabinet reshuffle just 69 days after taking office.
No Chilean president had carried out such an early cabinet reshuffle since the return to democracy.
Since then, avoidable mistakes have virtually disappeared.
VII. The Legislative Agenda and the Government’s Priorities
The main reforms promoted during these first 100 days largely reflect the commitments made during the campaign.
The central pillars are public order, security, and economic recovery.
Just one month after taking office, the government presented an ambitious economic agenda aimed at strengthening economic freedom—an area in which Chile has regressed in recent years.
Notable measures include reducing the corporate tax rate from 27% to 23%, bringing the corporate tax burden closer to OECD averages, as well as various initiatives aimed at rebuilding a favorable investment climate.
In addition, administrative measures have been implemented to streamline the processing of investment projects and the obtaining of environmental and sector-specific permits.
At the same time, initiatives have been launched to strengthen civic values related to respect for public order, social harmony, and the care of public spaces. Furthermore, border security has been strengthened, reducing irregular immigration, and pending administrative deportations have been expedited.
VIII. Political Recovery and the Opposition’s Difficulties
Following an initial drop in the polls, the government has managed to regain some of the support it had lost.
A cabinet reshuffle—which included a change in the government’s spokesperson, accompanied by an improved communications strategy—and a state-of-the-nation address aimed at reaffirming campaign priorities helped raise the president’s approval rating once again.
At the same time, the opposition parties that backed the Communist Party candidate have experienced internal tensions and divisions, hindering the formation of a cohesive political alternative and the possibility of reaching broader agreements.
IX. Conclusions: A Right-Wing Government
President Kast’s first 100 days suggest that concerns regarding a potential far-right government are fading. This is without prejudice to the fact that left-leaning political analysis will continue to use such labels, though with a marginal and irrelevant effect on uninformed third parties.
It is undoubtedly a right-wing government, both in its priorities and in its economic and security policies. It employs a frank and direct discourse, grounded in right-wing ideology.
However, the main difficulties of these first few months—which he has already addressed—have been related to governance, economic constraints, and the lack of stable legislative majorities.
The government also lacks a majority of its own in Congress, forcing it to forge ongoing agreements with politically like-minded sectors that are not necessarily aligned on every issue.
For now, it has managed to navigate this difficulty, although it will likely remain one of the main challenges over the next four years.
Consequently, the experience of these first 100 days disproves the theory that predicted a far-right, conservative government in terms of values. Both in its actions and in its rhetoric, a clear agenda is evident that seeks to revive the reforms that formed the foundation of our country’s most prosperous decades.