PRO ISRAEL NAZI
Son of a Nazi official, Kast will replace a Chilean administration led by Gabriel Boric, a vocal critic of Israel and the government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Jose Antonio Kast, presidential candidate of the far-right Republican Party of Chile, and his wife Maria Pia Adriasola Barroilhet, arrive at a polling station to vote during a presidential runoff election, in Santiago, Chile, December 14, 2025.(photo credit: REUTERS/Juan Gonzalez)
DECEMBER 15, 2025
JERUSALEM POST
Far-right, pro-Israel candidate José Antonio Kast will become the next president of Chile after winning the second-round voting on Sunday with 60% of the votes.
Son of a former Nazi official, Kast will replace a Chilean administration led by Gabriel Boric, a vocal critic of Israel and the government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, to the point of stopping diplomatic relations months after the October 7 attacks.
Kast was one of the main opponents of Boric’s foreign affairs policy, and promised during his campaign that he “would rectify the mistakes made by Boric,” which he called “whims” and “tantrums” on more than one occasion.
“Chile's foreign relations are too relevant to prioritize the whims of a President over the interests of the Nation. Boric, once again, evidences his antisemitism by leaving Israel out of FIDAE [Santiago’s international air show], in an irresponsible and markedly ideological decision,” he posted on X in March 2024.
Son of a former Nazi official, Kast will replace a Chilean administration led by Gabriel Boric, a vocal critic of Israel and the government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, to the point of stopping diplomatic relations months after the October 7 attacks.
Kast was one of the main opponents of Boric’s foreign affairs policy, and promised during his campaign that he “would rectify the mistakes made by Boric,” which he called “whims” and “tantrums” on more than one occasion.
“Chile's foreign relations are too relevant to prioritize the whims of a President over the interests of the Nation. Boric, once again, evidences his antisemitism by leaving Israel out of FIDAE [Santiago’s international air show], in an irresponsible and markedly ideological decision,” he posted on X in March 2024.
His pro-Israel stance was seen once again on October 7, when he assured that the Hamas attack “deserves our complete and unequivocal condemnation. No cause justifies these brutal crimes.”
Jose Antonio Kast, presidential candidate of the far-right Republican Party of Chile, greets supporters after voting during a presidential runoff election, in Santiago, Chile, December 14, 2025. (credit: REUTERS/Juan Gonzalez)
He also called “Boric’s decision to recall the Israeli ambassador to Chile for consultations a new shame for Chile,” pointing out that the Hamas terrorist group celebrated the decision.
After Iran's attack on Israel in April of 2024, Kast said, "Iran launches a drone and missile attack on Israel. They could be the same drones that it gifted to Bolivia to monitor our borders. Chile has a serious national security problem, and we have a weak and inexperienced government to face it."
Finally, in September 2022, he warned that “Chile's foreign relations are in serious jeopardy thanks to the President's tantrums,” after Boric “insulted Israel over the death of a guerrilla terrorist who died in a confrontation.”
Chilean media reported that in 2008, Kast was part of the delegation of Chilean politicians that traveled to Israel and even visited the holocaust memorial museum of Yad Vashem.
Kast managed to win the elections in Chile while keeping his pro-Israel advocacy in a country known for having the biggest Palestinian diaspora outside of the Middle East, with an estimated 500,000 Palestinians and their descendants living nowadays in Chile.
Kast's family and his father’s role as a Nazi officialMichael Kast's, father of the Chilean president-elect, role as a Nazi official was already known in Chile, but gained international interest after his son went on to become one of the main candidates to take the presidency in the country.
A report by the Associated Press (AP) showed documents that proved Michael Kast’s (Kast's father) military service under Nazism during the Second World War.
An ID card shared by AP showed that an 18-year-old named Michael Kast joined the National Socialist German Workers’ Party, or NSDAP, in September 1942, at the height of Hitler’s war on the Soviet Union.
An 18-year-old Michael Kast joined the National Socialist German Workers’ Party, or NSDAP, in September 1942 (credit: WIKIMEDIA COMMONS/Berlin Document Center, NSDAP
Mitgliederkartei)German officials confirmed the card's authenticity to The Guardian. The report also mentioned that Kast himself rejected the claims that his father was part of the Nazi party, saying instead that he joined the army under forced conscription.
“When there is a war and [military] enrollment is mandatory, a 17 or 18 year old doesn’t have the option to say, ‘I’m not going,’ because they will be court martialed and shot to death the very next day,” The Guardian reported that he said in 2018.
Kast’s father emigrated to Chile after the Second World War and lived there for the rest of his life, until he passed away in 2014 at the age of 90.
“When there is a war and [military] enrollment is mandatory, a 17 or 18 year old doesn’t have the option to say, ‘I’m not going,’ because they will be court martialed and shot to death the very next day,” The Guardian reported that he said in 2018.
Kast’s father emigrated to Chile after the Second World War and lived there for the rest of his life, until he passed away in 2014 at the age of 90.
Far-right candidate Jose Antonio Kast wins Chile’s presidential election
Kast’s victory is seen as part of a recent trend of right-wing victories across Latin America, including in Argentina and Ecuador.
By Al Jazeera Staff
Published On 14 Dec 2025
Far-right candidate Jose Antonio Kast has won a run-off election to become Chile’s 38th president, ousting the centre-left government currently in power.
On Sunday, with nearly all the ballots counted, Kast prevailed with nearly 58 percent of the vote, defeating former Labour Minister Jeannette Jara, a Communist Party politician who represented the governing centre-left coalition.
Jara and her coalition, Unity for Chile, conceded defeat shortly after the polls closed in the South American country.
“Democracy has spoken loud and clear. I have just spoken with President-elect [Kast] to wish him success for the good of Chile,” Jara wrote on social media.
“To those who supported us and were inspired by our candidacy, rest assured that we will continue working to build a better life in our country. Together and standing strong, as we always have.”
The result marks the latest victory for the far right in Latin America, which has seen a streak of right-wing leaders once considered political outsiders rise to power in countries like Argentina and Ecuador.
The tally also marks a significant comeback for Kast himself, the 59-year-old leader of the Republican Party. The 2025 election marks his third attempt to win the presidency — and his first successful bid.
During the last election, in 2021, he was trounced by outgoing President Gabriel Boric, who won by nearly a 10-point margin.
But Boric, a former student leader who became Chile’s youngest president, had seen his popularity slump to about 30 percent by the end of his four-year term. He was also ineligible to run for a second term under Chilean law.
In public opinion polls, voters also expressed frustration with recent spikes in crime and immigration, as well as a softening of Chile’s economy
Kast, meanwhile, campaigned on the promise of change. He said he would address voter concerns by carrying out crackdowns on crime and immigration, including through a campaign of mass deportation, similar to what United States President Donald Trump has done in North America.
His security platform — dubbed the “Implacable Plan” — also proposes stiffer mandatory minimum sentencing, incarcerating more criminals in maximum security facilities, and putting cartel leaders in “total isolation” to cut them off from any communication with the outside world.
“Today, while criminals and drug traffickers walk freely through the streets, committing crimes and intimidating people, honest Chileans are locked in their homes, paralyzed by fear,” Kast writes in his security plan.
Kast has also taken a hard right stance towards social and health issues, including abortion, which he opposes even in cases of rape.
But those hardline policies earned Kast criticism on the campaign trail. Critics have also seized upon his own sympathetic comments about Chile’s former dictator, military leader Augusto Pinochet.
In 1973, Pinochet oversaw a right-wing military coup that ousted the democratically elected leader, Salvador Allende. He proceeded to rule the country until 1990. His government became known for its widespread human rights abuses and brutal oppression of political dissent, with thousands executed and tens of thousands tortured.
While Kast has rejected the label “far right”, he has repeatedly defended Pinochet’s government. Of Pinochet, Kast famously quipped, “If he were alive, he would vote for me.”
Opponents also sought to draw attention to Kast’s family ties: His father, Michael Martin Kast, was born in Germany and had been a member of the Nazi Party. The elder Kast immigrated to Chile in 1950.
Reporting from a polling site in the capital of Santiago, Al Jazeera correspondent Lucia Newman noted that Sunday’s victory was a historic one for Chile’s far right. But, she noted, Kast has sought to moderate his platform to better appeal to voters in the current election cycle.
“This is the first time since 1990 — since the military dictatorship before 1990, when Chile returned to democracy — that such a conservative government will be in power,” Newman explained.
“It’s really not certain just how conservative it will be. Jose Antonio Kast was a supporter of former dictator General Augusto Pinochet. He has shirked away from that in recent years, and certainly in this campaign.”
In the wake of Kast’s election victory, right-wing leaders from across the Americas offered their congratulations in statements on social media.
“Congratulations to Chilean President-Elect [Jose Antonio Kast] on his victory,” Trump’s Secretary of State Marco Rubio wrote. “The United States looks forward to partnering with his administration to strengthen regional security and revitalize our trade relationship.”
Argentina’s libertarian leader Javier Milei likewise chimed in, hailing it as a major win for his conservative political movement.
“FREEDOM IS ADVANCING,” Milei wrote, echoing his own campaign rallying cry.
“Enormous joy at the overwhelming victory of my friend [Jose Antonio Kast] in the Chilean presidential elections! One more step for our region in defense of life, liberty, and private property. I am sure that we will work together so that America embraces the ideas of freedom and we can free ourselves from the oppressive yoke of 21st-century socialism…!!!”
Ecuador’s right-wing President Daniel Noboa, meanwhile, said that “a new era is beginning for Chile and for the region”.
This year’s presidential race was the first time since 2012 that voting had been compulsory in the country. There are approximately 15.7 million eligible voters in the South American country.
Kast originally came in second place during the first round of voting on November 16. He scored about 23.9 percent of the vote, compared with Jara’s 26.8 percent.
But polls had widely favoured him to win in the run-off. While Chile’s left wing held a primary in June and coalesced around its victor, Jara, right-wing parties did not hold a primary to choose a coalition nominee.
The result was a fractured right in the first round of voting. But in the final contest, Kast was able to sweep up votes that had previously gone to his right-leaning adversaries, earning him a comfortable win.
Still, Kast faces a divided National Congress, which is expected to blunt some of his more hardline proposals. Kast will be sworn in on March 11.
Kast’s victory is seen as part of a recent trend of right-wing victories across Latin America, including in Argentina and Ecuador.
Jose Antonio Kast, presidential candidate for the Republican Party, takes a selfie after voting in Santiago, Chile, on December 14 [Esteban Felix/AP Photo]
By Al Jazeera Staff
Published On 14 Dec 2025
Far-right candidate Jose Antonio Kast has won a run-off election to become Chile’s 38th president, ousting the centre-left government currently in power.
On Sunday, with nearly all the ballots counted, Kast prevailed with nearly 58 percent of the vote, defeating former Labour Minister Jeannette Jara, a Communist Party politician who represented the governing centre-left coalition.
Jara and her coalition, Unity for Chile, conceded defeat shortly after the polls closed in the South American country.
“Democracy has spoken loud and clear. I have just spoken with President-elect [Kast] to wish him success for the good of Chile,” Jara wrote on social media.
“To those who supported us and were inspired by our candidacy, rest assured that we will continue working to build a better life in our country. Together and standing strong, as we always have.”
The result marks the latest victory for the far right in Latin America, which has seen a streak of right-wing leaders once considered political outsiders rise to power in countries like Argentina and Ecuador.
The tally also marks a significant comeback for Kast himself, the 59-year-old leader of the Republican Party. The 2025 election marks his third attempt to win the presidency — and his first successful bid.
During the last election, in 2021, he was trounced by outgoing President Gabriel Boric, who won by nearly a 10-point margin.
But Boric, a former student leader who became Chile’s youngest president, had seen his popularity slump to about 30 percent by the end of his four-year term. He was also ineligible to run for a second term under Chilean law.
In public opinion polls, voters also expressed frustration with recent spikes in crime and immigration, as well as a softening of Chile’s economy
Kast, meanwhile, campaigned on the promise of change. He said he would address voter concerns by carrying out crackdowns on crime and immigration, including through a campaign of mass deportation, similar to what United States President Donald Trump has done in North America.
His security platform — dubbed the “Implacable Plan” — also proposes stiffer mandatory minimum sentencing, incarcerating more criminals in maximum security facilities, and putting cartel leaders in “total isolation” to cut them off from any communication with the outside world.
“Today, while criminals and drug traffickers walk freely through the streets, committing crimes and intimidating people, honest Chileans are locked in their homes, paralyzed by fear,” Kast writes in his security plan.
Kast has also taken a hard right stance towards social and health issues, including abortion, which he opposes even in cases of rape.
But those hardline policies earned Kast criticism on the campaign trail. Critics have also seized upon his own sympathetic comments about Chile’s former dictator, military leader Augusto Pinochet.
In 1973, Pinochet oversaw a right-wing military coup that ousted the democratically elected leader, Salvador Allende. He proceeded to rule the country until 1990. His government became known for its widespread human rights abuses and brutal oppression of political dissent, with thousands executed and tens of thousands tortured.
While Kast has rejected the label “far right”, he has repeatedly defended Pinochet’s government. Of Pinochet, Kast famously quipped, “If he were alive, he would vote for me.”
Opponents also sought to draw attention to Kast’s family ties: His father, Michael Martin Kast, was born in Germany and had been a member of the Nazi Party. The elder Kast immigrated to Chile in 1950.
Reporting from a polling site in the capital of Santiago, Al Jazeera correspondent Lucia Newman noted that Sunday’s victory was a historic one for Chile’s far right. But, she noted, Kast has sought to moderate his platform to better appeal to voters in the current election cycle.
“This is the first time since 1990 — since the military dictatorship before 1990, when Chile returned to democracy — that such a conservative government will be in power,” Newman explained.
“It’s really not certain just how conservative it will be. Jose Antonio Kast was a supporter of former dictator General Augusto Pinochet. He has shirked away from that in recent years, and certainly in this campaign.”
In the wake of Kast’s election victory, right-wing leaders from across the Americas offered their congratulations in statements on social media.
“Congratulations to Chilean President-Elect [Jose Antonio Kast] on his victory,” Trump’s Secretary of State Marco Rubio wrote. “The United States looks forward to partnering with his administration to strengthen regional security and revitalize our trade relationship.”
Argentina’s libertarian leader Javier Milei likewise chimed in, hailing it as a major win for his conservative political movement.
“FREEDOM IS ADVANCING,” Milei wrote, echoing his own campaign rallying cry.
“Enormous joy at the overwhelming victory of my friend [Jose Antonio Kast] in the Chilean presidential elections! One more step for our region in defense of life, liberty, and private property. I am sure that we will work together so that America embraces the ideas of freedom and we can free ourselves from the oppressive yoke of 21st-century socialism…!!!”
Ecuador’s right-wing President Daniel Noboa, meanwhile, said that “a new era is beginning for Chile and for the region”.
This year’s presidential race was the first time since 2012 that voting had been compulsory in the country. There are approximately 15.7 million eligible voters in the South American country.
Kast originally came in second place during the first round of voting on November 16. He scored about 23.9 percent of the vote, compared with Jara’s 26.8 percent.
But polls had widely favoured him to win in the run-off. While Chile’s left wing held a primary in June and coalesced around its victor, Jara, right-wing parties did not hold a primary to choose a coalition nominee.
The result was a fractured right in the first round of voting. But in the final contest, Kast was able to sweep up votes that had previously gone to his right-leaning adversaries, earning him a comfortable win.
Still, Kast faces a divided National Congress, which is expected to blunt some of his more hardline proposals. Kast will be sworn in on March 11.
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