José Antonio Kast, leader of Chile’s Republican Party, was inaugurated on Wednesday as the country’s 38th president in a ceremony at the National Congress in Valparaíso. Senate President Paulina Núñez placed the presidential sash on Kast as dozens of foreign leaders attended, including Argentina’s Javier Milei, Ecuador’s Daniel Noboa, Panama’s José Raúl Mulino, and Spain’s Felipe VI.

Kast’s 24-member cabinet, drawn from the Chile Vamos coalition, the Republican Party, and select independents, also took their oaths. Key appointments include Trinidad Steinert as interior and public security minister, José Francisco Pérez Mackenna as foreign minister, and Fernando Rabat as justice minister. Following the ceremony, Kast and his wife, Maria Pia Adriasola, waved to supporters from the balcony of La Moneda presidential palace in Santiago.

Kast’s inauguration capped a decisive election victory. He won the December 14, 2025, runoff against leftist-backed Jeannette Jara with 58.17% of the vote, the highest total in Chilean history, on turnout exceeding 85%. His first-round lead on November 16 set the stage for a clear mandate, reflecting voters’ focus on public security, border control, and economic growth.

During his campaign, Kast emphasized an “emergency government” to combat organized crime and irregular migration, pledging to enforce the law firmly and restore order. His agenda includes government-wide audits, corporate tax reductions from 27% to 23% over four years, deregulation, and spending controls aimed at stimulating economic growth and attracting investment.

Kast, born in 1966 to a German immigrant father and part of a politically active family, founded the Republican Party in 2019 after leaving the UDI. A former deputy and 2021 presidential candidate, he returned to office amid widespread voter discontent with crime and economic stagnation. Kast has expressed opposition to abortion and same-sex marriage, praised El Salvador’s Nayib Bukele for crime-fighting policies, and aligned with U.S. President Donald Trump’s regional security initiatives, including the “Shield of the Americas” program.