Trump-Inspired Candidate Set to Shake Up Chilean Politics
Chile stands at a political crossroads as ultra-conservative candidate José Antonio Kast emerges as the frontrunner in Sunday's presidential election. Current polling indicates the 59-year-old lawyer could secure 23% of votes in the first round, trailing only the ruling coalition's Communist candidate Jeannette Jara at 25%.
Hardline Policies Resonate With Voters
Kast's campaign has captivated supporters with its uncompromising stance on crime and immigration, drawing comparisons to international right-wing figures including Donald Trump, Jair Bolsonaro and Viktor Orbán. His message particularly resonates in border communities like Visviri, where 55-year-old waiter Carlos Valdebenito Pacheco enthusiastically endorsed Kast's approach. "An iron fist! That's what we need! Like a Bukele!" Valdebenito declared, referencing El Salvador's controversial president.
The candidate's draconian proposals include Escudo Fronterizo (Border Shield) - an ambitious plan to construct hundreds of miles of walls, ditches and barriers along Chile's northern frontier. This initiative aims to address what Kast describes as an invasion, with over half a million Venezuelans arriving since their country's economic collapse.
Regional Context and International Inspiration
Kast's potential victory would continue South America's recent rightward political shift, following Bolivia's election of a centre-right president after two decades of socialist rule. The Chilean politician has openly admired Hungary's Viktor Orbán, visiting his border fence with Serbia and describing the Hungarian leader as "a beacon" in the fight against asylum seekers.
His campaign rhetoric echoes Trump's hostile migration language, claiming Chile has been overrun by foreigners including "criminals, murderers, members of international gangs, rapists and abusers." Kast has celebrated how 1.6 million migrants "self-deported" from the US under Trump and suggests implementing similar measures in Chile.
Local Support and Growing Concerns
In Arica, a border city hit hard by rising crime, pro-Kast politician Pollyana Rivera claims Chile faces "a critical emergency situation." During a tour of the border checkpoint, Rivera warned "if there aren't strong, noteworthy, unrelenting measures against the criminals and robust measures against uncontrolled immigration - Chile could fall into the abyss just like Venezuela or Cuba."
However, Kast's plans have alarmed human rights activists and political opponents. Centre-left senator candidate Vlado Mirosevic acknowledges Chile's security crisis but believes a Bukele-style crackdown is unthinkable in a democratic nation. "The Bukele model is impossible to replicate, because it's clearly a violation of the rule of law," Mirosevic argued.
Even some Kast supporters question the practicality of his border wall proposal, with one anonymous ally noting "It makes no sense, no sense at all. The border is far too big." The northern border spans inhospitable deserts and plateaux where mountain lions, alpacas and llamas roam freely.
Immigrant Communities Feel the Pressure
Kast's rhetoric has unsettled Chile's immigrant communities, particularly Venezuelans who have sought refuge from their country's collapse. One undocumented Venezuelan decorator in Arica described fleeing police violence and poverty before hiking into Chile through Peru and Bolivia. "We are trash to him," the 38-year-old said of Kast.
His wife reported their children facing racism at school, with classmates refusing to play with them because of their nationality. "If I met Kast, I would invite him to our small home and tell him: This is how I live. This is what I do... I'm not a bad person for society - I'm a good person... Give us a chance," the 42-year-old mother explained.
Despite these concerns, conservative voters in Arica express elation at Chile potentially joining South America's conservative wave. Sixty-seven-year-old retiree Rita Moya predicted Kast "is the one who's going to save our country... from all the bad things that are happening." Another local, Gladys del Tránsito Osorio Verdugo, 69, described being robbed at knife-point by foreign men and declared "We have great faith in Kast. We want him to save this country - because this country never used to be like this."
With the first round of voting scheduled for Sunday and a potential runoff on 14 December, Chile faces a decisive moment that could reshape its political landscape and place it firmly within Latin America's growing conservative movement.
