Chile’s President-elect Kast and the Populism to Fascism Pipeline
In late 2025, Chile elected right-wing candidate Jose Antonio Kast as their next president. Mr. Kast has a history of glorifying Chile’s former dictator, Augusto Pinochet, and his attitude towards Pinochet’s legacy suggests a dictatorial vision for Chile’s political future. Looking deeper into Chilean history, this attitude becomes more troubling, as Pinochet’s dictatorship has strong ties to former Nazis who fled to South America post-World War II, including Mr. Kast’s father. Mr. Kast’s rhetoric illustrates how right-wing nationalism and appealing to violent law-and-order regimes becomes fascism apologism and can set off the potential return of authoritarianism to Chile.
