In his first speech as president-elect, the standard-bearer of the right, José Antonio Kast, moderated expectations for his future mandate: “The results will not be seen the next day, it requires perseverance, strength and wisdom.” With 58.1% of the votes, in a very resounding victory over the left-wing candidate, the communist Jeannette Jara (41.8%), the founder of the far-right Republican Party, delivered to her supporters a speech with a conciliatory, unifying and institutional tone in the municipality of Las Condes, in the eastern sector of Santiago, in which he attacked God and his family. “Chile has won here, the hope of living without fear,” he declared in his first words as winner – which lasted almost an hour -, where he underlined the emphasis that his government will place on the fight against insecurity, drug trafficking, the promotion of economic growth and the strengthening of immigration control. Furthermore, while reaffirming that he will resign from the formation he founded to become “the president of all Chileans”, he stressed that he cannot imagine a government without Chile Vamos, of the traditional right.
Accompanied by his wife, the future first lady, Pía Adriasola, Kast arrived around 10 p.m. outside his command, after meeting the candidate Jara, whom he appreciated for her “courage” in having taken up a “very difficult” challenge and for having aligned her people. The outgoing president, Gabriel Boric, called him as soon as the results were known, invited him to go to La Moneda on Monday morning and offered his collaboration for the future, thus continuing a republican tradition. “You will also know, at some point, what the solitude of power means,” warned the leftist. Former socialist president Michelle Bachelet also contacted the winning candidate to talk about Chile’s challenges.
During his speech, although he highlighted the differences, he recalled his left and center-left predecessors -Patricio Aylwin, Ricardo Lagos, Bachelet-, as well as the Christian Democrat Eduardo Frei and paid special tribute to the double president, Sebastián Piñera, who died in an accident in 2024.
Although he moderated his expectations: “we are going to experience a difficult, very difficult year” economically; “It’s not magic, what I promise you is work, order, decision and conviction” – he also gave signals to voters and the opposition, whom he called to work together and opened the door to constructive criticism. “This mandate does not allow delays. Chile is going to experience a real change that you will soon begin to perceive,” he said, adding that from March 11 “we are going to surprise.” In a paternalistic, almost academic tone, he called for getting up early, being happy, behaving properly in schools, painting the striped walls of neighborhoods, among other civic tasks.
He affirmed that from this Monday begins “a period of duty, responsibility, intense work and difficult decisions”. “It is not the goal, it is the starting point,” he emphasized, since this Sunday Chile won “which respects the rules and requires the State to also comply with them.” “In this, I want to be very clear: Chile where the rule of law will be reestablished throughout the territory, without exceptions, without privileges. Politicians, judges, citizens,” he added.
Around 7:30 p.m., the president of the Republican Party, Arturo Squella, announced that they had already received the call from Jara to congratulate Kast. “We are very happy and feel this enormous responsibility. This magnitude makes us keep in mind each of the commitments we have made from Arica to Punta Arenas,” declared the senator-elect from Valparaiso, who appears as coordinator of the right in Congress. “We feel very responsible for this enormous sacrifice in dealing with the crises that Chile is going through and we hope to be able to count on each of the people who work for Chile, whatever their political color,” he added.
Kast went to vote this morning in the municipality of Buin, with a strong peasant tradition, in the southern zone of Santiago. The Republican arrived accompanied by his wife, lawyer Pía Adriasola, and his main advisor Cristian Valenzuela. “It’s very exciting to vote in the country where I was born. It’s a great day for Chile,” he said. During a press briefing, he affirmed that his team was “at the disposal of all Chileans”, but he avoided going into details of his – then possible – cabinet or how it would add to the right-wing formations which gave him their support during the second round campaign. “We are going to give our lives to recover and rebuild our homeland. This is why we call for unity to move forward,” he declared, adding that we must count on the Congress to carry out the essential part of its program: “Transformations do not occur only through the will of the government. We will make many presentations.”
From this Monday and for the next three months, the Republican team will refine the details of its landing at the Palais from The small room. The operations center is located at La Gloria 88, in Las Condes, a few blocks from the command of the winning candidate, and it is planned to advance in the Challenge 90 Planby the economist Bernardo Fontaine. The objective is to prepare a battery of measures to be applied during the first three months of the government to “make a difference and implement real and profound changes”, mainly in terms of immigration, security and judicial reform. At the press briefing after his vote, Kast announced that he would invite doctors, neighbors, teachers and citizens in general to collaborate and solve problems. “We don’t want anyone to be forgotten in Chile,” he said.
About The Author
