Chile's Democracy Faces Its Gravest Test Since Pinochet

[Celerity]

A far-right candidate threatens to dismantle decades of democratic progress in Latin America's most celebrated success story.

https://www.socialeurope.eu/chiles-democracy-faces-its-gravest-test-since-pinochet



Over the past three decades, Chile has stood out among Latin American countries for its solid record in economic development and state efficiency. Following the return to democracy in 1990 after the Pinochet dictatorship, Chile dramatically reduced income poverty—from 59 per cent of the population in 1990 to just 6 per cent in 2022—increased life expectancy to 81.5 years by 2025 (comparable to Germany and the United Kingdom), and achieved the region’s highest Human Development Index. Inequality, while lower than before (the current Gini coefficient is 0.43), remains high compared to European standards.

Most notably, the country achieved this while maintaining a relatively low level of debt: 42.8 per cent of GDP versus 110.5 per cent on average in OECD economies. At the same time, Chile has consistently performed well on controlling corruption. International indices place it in a different league from most of Latin America—with the notable exception of Uruguay—and even ahead of some developed countries.

Despite these achievements, citizens’ trust in the state has plummeted in recent years. Surveys show record-low confidence in political institutions and the justice system, while perception of corruption is rising. Worryingly, support for democracy itself has also declined. In this context, Chile will elect its next president in just a few days. Leading the polls is far-right Republican candidate José Antonio Kast, who has built his campaign around a narrative of state inefficiency and proposes sweeping austerity measures.

From ambitious reforms to political deadlock

Over the past three decades, Chile has made major advances in adapting its public institutions to contemporary challenges. These include a complete overhaul of the criminal justice system, replacing the outdated inquisitorial model with a modern oral process; the establishment of universal minimal health guarantees; the creation of new environmental institutions; a universal pension for the elderly; and the financing of free higher education for a large share of young people. The result has been a gradual transition toward a system with a more balanced role for the state. While many original features from reforms under the dictatorship remain—particularly in health and pensions—state-backed social protection mechanisms have grown significantly.

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[Celerity]

1. it failed the test

Ultra-conservative José Antonio Kast elected Chile’s next president

The son of a Nazi party member and an admirer of Pinochet, Kast built his campaign on a promise to expel tens of thousands of undocumented migrants

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/dec/15/jose-antonio-kast-wins-election-chile-president

The ultra-conservative former congressman José Antonio Kast has been elected as Chile’s next president.

With more than 99% of polling stations counted, Kast took 58.16% of the vote, against 41.84% for the leftist Jeannette Jara, a former labour minister under the current president, Gabriel Boric.

The son of a Nazi party member, an admirer of the dictator Augusto Pinochet and a staunch Catholic known for opposing abortion and same-sex marriage, Kast built his campaign on a promise to expel tens of thousands of undocumented migrants.

“Here, no individual won, no party won – Chile won, and hope won. The hope of living without fear. That fear that torments families,” Kast told the thousands of supporters who waited more than two hours for his speech.

snip

[malaise]

2. Big time

I weep for our planet