General Pinochet’s Return
Redressing the crimes of Pinochet’s regime has been a hard-fought and often contested process. Chile’s current presidency has revealed how easily progress can be reversed.
José Antonio Kast is Chile’s most right-wing president in 35 years. After two unsuccessful attempts in 2017 and 2021, he was elected in December 2025 on a hardline nationalist agenda that reflected growing public concerns over crime, the economy, and immigration. For some, his election exposed how incomplete Chile’s reckoning with its violent past remains: amid a climate of denial, support for Augusto Pinochet’s coup and subsequent 17-year dictatorship has not only persisted but has also increased, especially among generations born after the dictatorship. Kast was formally sworn in as Chile’s 38th president in March 2026.
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