칠레 대선 근황

AI Translated Image

(MEXICO CITY, WASHINGTON=Yonhap News) Correspondents Lee Jae-rim and Park Sung-min = José Antonio Kast (59), the hardline conservative Republican candidate, won a landslide victory in Chile's presidential election run-off on the 14th (local time). Chile is well known as the first country to sign a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with Korea (effective 2004). Candidate Kast was elected president, securing 58.2% of the vote, defeating Communist Party candidate Giannet Harra (51), who received 41.8%. Kast, who campaigned on fighting crime, deporting undocumented immigrants, and economic revival, emphasized in his victory speech, "Chile needs order. We need order on the streets, in the nation, and in our lost priorities." Harra, who was supported by the leftist ruling party but lost by a large margin, conceded the defeat, stating on her X (formerly Twitter), "I called President-elect Kast to offer my congratulations." President Gabriel Boric (39) congratulated Kast in a phone call, saying, "The election result is clear, and I am ready to cooperate for the destiny of our country." Kast, who advanced to the run-off after placing second in the first election last month, successfully mobilized conservative support, marking a shift 'to the right' after four years, following the center-right Sebastián Piñera (1949–2024). Conversely, President Boric, the '30-something leftist torchbearer,' is stepping down amidst low approval ratings and the failure of Harra, a candidate not from his own party, to expand her voter base. A lawyer by trade, Kast is a major politician who clinched the presidency after his third attempt, following runs in 2017 and 2021. He served four consecutive terms in the Chamber of Deputies (2002–2018). His father was a German Nazi Party member, and his brother served as a minister in the military dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet (1915–2006). Kast, sometimes called 'Chile's Trump' due to the similarity of his rhetoric and political style to that of US President Donald Trump (79), promised the expulsion of illegal (undocumented) immigrants. During his campaign, he aggressively warned illegal immigrants by counting down the days until his inauguration: "Leave before the situation comes where you have to leave with only the clothes on your back." Despite social resistance to military dictatorship, he advocates for expanding the military's authority to fight organized crime. He has also pledged to “not shy away from declaring a state of emergency to crush crime.” He is expected to pursue policies like the construction of large prisons and mass incarceration of gang members, similar to measures adopted by the Nayib Bukele government in El Salvador, which garnered attention from neighboring countries. However, local news outlet TV Chilevisión noted that realizing these proposals will likely require negotiation with moderate right-wing forces in Congress, as Kast’s Republican Party did not secure a majority in last month’s general election. Kast, described by local media such as El Mercurio and La Tercera, as well as major foreign news agencies like AFP and Reuters, as an 'extremist,' promised a 'return to the market economy' to overcome the economic slump. His key plans include cuts to the public budget, deregulation, reduced corporate taxes, labor law flexibility, and the privatization of state-owned enterprises. The outcome of this Chilean election is interpreted as reflecting the electorate's strong desire for regime change. Contrary to the international assessment of Chile as the 'South American role model,' the country has seen rising violent crime, particularly in the capital Santiago, linked to the influx of Venezuelan gangs, alongside slowing economic growth. This fueled widespread rejection of the leftist Boric government. David Altman, a political scientist at the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile, told Reuters, "Chilean voters haven't become more fascist in four years; the only place for them to settle after turning their backs on the left was Kast," suggesting, "They perceived President-elect Kast as a familiar figure with over 20 years of political experience." Kast, who emphasizes 'order' and is expected to lead Chile sharply toward conservatism in a way not seen since the military dictatorship, also faces the heavy task of uniting a nation polarized into two extremes. The opposition-majority Congress and the resistance from the still-influential leftist civil society signal a difficult road ahead for his plans for 'iron rule.' The 'Blue Tide' phenomenon—a recent shift toward right-wing rule observed across Central and South America—has become more pronounced. Currently, conservative governments are in power in Argentina, Ecuador, Paraguay, Bolivia, El Salvador, and Costa Rica. Even in Honduras, which has seen controversy over alleged 'Trump pressure,' the leftist ruling party candidate is likely to lose. Kast will be inaugurated on March 11 next year in Chile, a country of 20 million people. The Chilean presidential term is four years; re-election immediately after the term is prohibited, but non-consecutive re-election is possible. The Trump administration in the United States immediately welcomed the election result. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio issued a congratulatory statement that day, saying, "I am confident that under Kast’s leadership, Chile will advance shared priorities, including strengthening public safety, ending illegal migration, and revitalizing bilateral commercial relations." Secretary Rubio added, "The United States looks forward to working closely with his administration to deepen our partnership and promote shared prosperity in our hemisphere."

This is the newly elected Jose Antonio Kast and his wife.