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Chile picks José Antonio Kast in a 20-point runoff blowout, turning the page on the Boric era

Chile picks José Antonio Kast in a 20-point runoff blowout, turning the page on the Boric era

Rule Changes

A security-and-migration election ends with the hard right winning big—and inheriting a divided Congress.

January 20th, 2026: Kast announces full cabinet of 24 ministers

Overview

Chile's presidential race ended decisively on December 14 when José Antonio Kast defeated Jeannette Jara by about 20 points in the runoff. The country chose a mood: fear of crime and anger over disorder. Two months before his March 11 inauguration, Kast has unveiled a 24-minister cabinet of technocrats and independents rather than party loyalists, signaling his intent to govern pragmatically despite his hardline campaign rhetoric.

Kast's cabinet prioritizes security and economic recovery, with key appointments including Trinidad Steinert as Public Security Minister and Jorge Quiroz as Finance Minister. His coalition holds only 76 of 155 Chamber seats and 25 of 50 Senate seats in Congress. Starting at inauguration, deals—not slogans—will decide what he can pass.

Key Indicators

58.2%
Kast's final runoff vote share
Final SERVEL tally: 7.2 million votes, the highest total in Chilean history.
41.8%
Jara's final runoff vote share
Jara conceded as the gap widened in the early official count.
≈16 pts
Final runoff margin
Second-highest margin since Chile's transition to democracy—a clear mandate, if Kast can translate it into legislation.
15,779,102
Registered electorate
Compulsory voting at home expands turnout—and makes outcomes less predictable.
76/155
Right-coalition Chamber seats
Kast's Republican Party and allies lack a majority, forcing coalition-building.
25/50
Right-coalition Senate seats
Senate evenly divided; People's Party holds balance of power.

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People Involved

Organizations Involved

Timeline

June 2025 January 2026

10 events Latest: January 20th, 2026 · 4 months ago
Tap a bar to jump to that date
  1. Kast announces full cabinet of 24 ministers

    Latest Administration

    President-elect Kast unveils his cabinet, with 16 of 24 ministers being non-party members and independents. Key appointments include Claudio Alvarado (Interior), Trinidad Steinert (Public Security), Jorge Quiroz (Finance), and Fernando Rabat (Justice). The cabinet is characterized as technocratic and pro-business, signaling a pragmatic governing approach focused on security and economic recovery.

  2. Kast tells investors cabinet will be announced January 20

    Statement

    President-elect Kast confirms to Chilean business leaders that he will announce his full cabinet on January 20, declining to reveal names but noting he was joined by "several people who are going to help us in the future."

  3. Kast taps Jorge Quiroz as finance minister

    Administration

    President-elect Kast selects economist Jorge Quiroz, his top adviser, as finance minister according to reports in Diario Financiero—the first cabinet appointment revealed ahead of the official announcement.

  4. Boric and Kast meet at La Moneda to begin transition

    Administration

    President Boric and president-elect Kast meet the day after the election to prepare for the transfer of power. Kast emphasizes his plans for a "government of national unity on priority issues: security, health, education, and housing."

  5. Polls close; count begins fast

    Election

    With a single ballot in the runoff, counting moves quickly after polls close and data transmission begins.

  6. Kast wins the presidency

    Result

    Early official results show José Antonio Kast defeating Jeannette Jara 59.16% to 40.84%, and Jara concedes.

  7. SERVEL pushes compulsory-vote reminder nationwide

    Administration

    SERVEL sends an SMS campaign reminding domestic voters the runoff is compulsory and logistics are unchanged.

  8. Parisi refuses to pick a side

    Statement

    Third-place finisher Franco Parisi declines to endorse either finalist, leaving his voters up for grabs.

  9. First round splits Chile; runoff locked in

    Election

    No candidate reaches 50%, sending Jara and Kast into a December 14 runoff under compulsory voting rules.

  10. Jara wins the governing coalition’s primary

    Campaign

    Jeannette Jara wins the Unidad por Chile primary, becoming the left’s standard-bearer for November.

Historical Context

3 moments from history that rhyme with this story — and how they unfolded.

2021-11 to 2021-12

Chile’s 2021 runoff: Boric defeats Kast

Kast reached the runoff before and lost to Gabriel Boric in a high-turnout, high-stakes second round. The country framed the choice as democracy versus authoritarian nostalgia, then quickly shifted into governing arguments about reforms and security.

Then

Boric took office with a reform mandate but faced fast-rising insecurity concerns.

Now

By 2025, voter priorities had pivoted sharply toward order, enabling Kast’s return.

Why this matters now

It shows how fast Chile’s electorate can swing—and how security can rewrite ideology.

2019-10 to 2020-10

Chile’s 2019 social uprising and the promise of a new political model

Mass protests over inequality and the cost of living shook the state and forced a constitutional process. Politics became about legitimacy, rights, and rebuilding social contracts.

Then

A constitutional path opened and redefined the left’s narrative of change.

Now

As constitutional efforts stalled and insecurity rose, “change” lost to “order” as the organizing theme.

Why this matters now

The 2025 election is the backlash chapter: voters choosing control after years of turbulence.

2022-09 to 2023-12

Chile’s rejected constitutional plebiscites

Chile rejected successive constitutional proposals, signaling fatigue with grand rewrites and distrust of political elites across factions. The failures hardened polarization and weakened the idea that institutional redesign would solve daily problems.

Then

Reform coalitions fragmented and political cynicism deepened.

Now

Elections became less about utopias and more about fear, safety, and competence claims.

Why this matters now

It explains why a security-first candidate could win big even in a post-authoritarian democracy.

Sources

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