Chile becomes first nation outside Germany to elect the son of a known Nazi
Chile has taken a decisive turn to the right after José Antonio Kast, a hardline conservative, won the country's presidential runoff, following a campaign dominated by fears over crime, migration and economic uncertainty.
With over 95% of ballots counted, Kast, the leader of the Republican Party, secured roughly 58% of the vote.
His rival, Communist Party candidate Jeannette Jara, who received just over 41% of the vote, called to concede defeat and wrote on social media, "Democracy spoke loud and clear." Outgoing President Gabriel Boric also phoned Kast to congratulate him.
Kast is set to take office March 11, 2026. He has pledged to give undocumented migrants until that date to leave the country, warning that those who remain would face deportation or prosecution.
At: https://www.npr.org/2025/12/14/nx-s1-5644074/chile-kast-right
Chilean President-elect José Kast beams after voting earlier today in Santiago.
A staunch admirer of former dictator Augusto Pinochet, Kast will become the first president since Chile's return to democracy in 1990 to openly support the former military regime.
His father, Michael Kast, was a member of the Nazi Party who fought in the German Wehrmacht during World War II before emigrating to Chile in 1950.
Kast's bother Miguel, in turn, served as Central Bank President during the country's 1982-83 foreign debt bubble collapse under Pinochet.
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