"It's a government with no cultural programme. That's for sure. It's been decades since that happened, that a government takes office without a cultural programme. Unlike under Boric, art, culture and heritage were absent from Kast's programme, according to Bárbara Negrón, general director of the Observatory of Cultural Policies."
"In addition to the 3% budget reduction, the government is seeking to cut another $1bn across all ministries. Each ministry has received a document requiring it to identify abuses and wrongdoing in its use of public funds, as well as austerity measures, and submit them to the Ministry of Finance's budget office by 20 March."
"What worries me most is the part that somehow suggests or implies that there are institutionalised bad practices. We don't know if Cultures will be included in these additional cuts. There isn't a plan that one can say: 'Well, they're going to prioritise this and not that,' according to Negrón."
Chile's newly inaugurated president José Antonio Kast ordered a 3% budget cut across all 25 ministries, announced before his official inauguration. The Ministry of Cultures, Arts and Heritage, ranking 16th in budget size, faces particular pressure after the previous Boric administration nearly doubled cultural funding from $310m in 2023 to approximately $580m for 2026. Kast's administration notably excluded art, culture, and heritage from its political programme, marking the first time in decades a Chilean government took office without a cultural agenda. Beyond the initial 3% reduction, the government seeks an additional $1bn in cuts across ministries, requiring each to identify inefficiencies and propose austerity measures by March 20.
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