"Kast is the second right-wing president of Chile since the return of democracy in 1990. However, unlike Sebastian Pinera (2010-2014, 2018-2022), who is from the traditional right and opposed Pinochet, Kast is the first to have publicly supported the military regime. He voted in favor of the general's continuation in the 1988 referendum, and in 2017 visited former agents imprisoned for human rights violations, saying at the time that beyond the convictions, both military and civilians deserve justice."
"When asked in a debate before the runoff election whether he would pardon human rights violators, including Miguel Krassnoff, in exchange for information on the disappeared, he dodged the question. He noted that a law on humanitarian grounds is pending in Congress. I don't believe in what could be called delacion compensada [providing information about others to receive legal leniency or compensation], I believe in justice, and justice also means treating people who are terminally ill and unconscious with respect."
Jose Antonio Kast won the December 14 election with 58% of the vote and will take office on March 11, 2026, replacing Gabriel Boric. Kast is the second right-wing president since 1990 and the first openly to have supported Augusto Pinochet's military regime; he voted in favor of Pinochet's continuation in the 1988 referendum. Kast visited former agents imprisoned for human-rights violations in 2017 and argued that beyond convictions both military and civilians deserve justice. He avoided discussing the dictatorship during the latest campaign, dodged a question about pardoning violators in exchange for information, and cited a pending humanitarian-law proposal in Congress.
Read at english.elpais.com
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]