"Confident in his popularity, the Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet called a plebiscite in 1988 asking the population whether they approved extending his 15-year-long bloody rule for a further eight years. A young Jose Antonio Kast, then a 22-year-old law student, joined the yes campaign, saying in a TV advert that he was convinced the regime was acting for the direct benefit of all of us young people."
"Pinochet ultimately lost and left power in 1990, but Kast never stopped openly supporting the dictator, both as a congressman and in the three presidential bids he made before being elected last Sunday. The president-elect whose older brother, Miguel, was a prominent figure in the regime, serving as a minister and president of the central bank once said that if Pinochet were alive he would have voted for me."
Augusto Pinochet called a 1988 plebiscite asking whether to extend his 15-year rule for another eight years. Jose Antonio Kast, a 22-year-old law student at the time, campaigned for the yes vote and appeared in a TV advert praising the regime's benefits for young people. Pinochet lost and left power in 1990, but Kast continued to openly support him as a congressman and during three presidential bids before winning the presidency. Kast's older brother Miguel held prominent positions in the regime, including minister and central bank president. Significant segments of the Chilean right retained sympathy for Pinochet, producing tensions over moderation versus authoritarian continuity.
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