One of the most distinct memories of the inauguration of Chilean President Jose Antonio Kast on Wednesday was the presence of his fellow conservatives from other countries—not just Chile's sister Latin American nations but as far away as Spain, Great Britain, Hungary, Croatia, and the U.S.
"This looks like a dress rehearsal for CPAC!" is how one wag described a gathering of libertarian conservatives in the capital city on the night before Kast's inauguration.
Mixing with familiar fixtures on the Latin American right such as Brazilian senator and presidential candidate Flavio Bolsonaro (son of embattled former President Jair Bolsonaro) and Juan Pablo Chamon of the LIBERA Bolivia foundation were Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) Hermann Tertsch of Spain and Stephen Bartulica of Croatia, along with Irish entrepreneur and Libertas founder Declan Ganley.
The common denominator they shared with Kast — a former member of the Chilean Chamber of Deputies who captured the presidency last year on his third attempt — was his solid commitment to cultural and economic conservatism.
By sweeping all of his country's regions and winning the highest percentage of the vote since Chile's return to democracy in 1990, Kast, 60, continued a two-year pattern of Latin America moving to the right with the elections of fellow right-of-center presidents such as Javier Milei of Argentina, Rodrigo Paz of Bolivia, and Nasry Asfura of Honduras.
"[Kast's election] is significant because he leads by example — which is rare in politics," Bartulica told Newsmax. "He's a devout family man whom I sincerely admire. I know his wife and they are role models for someone interested in public service. I admire him for perseverance. It wasn't easy for him to become president. He stands for what matters most. He's pro-life, pro-family, and he loves his country. Many of the things I'm trying to promote in Europe he'll do here in South America."
Tertsch told Newsmax that Kast's election was significant because "we are seeing the tendency of freedom breaking through [in Latin America]. Milei did it. Now Kast. We are seeing a historical perspective. You have to see the connections. Without Trump winning the [U.S.] elections, the left would have been triumphant. The social-democratic globalist bipartisanship in Europe would have gone fiercely against us. But instead, the three pillars in the Western world [the U.S., Latin America, and Europe] are moving in our direction."
Ganley, head of the Rivada Networks, expressed excitement at Kast's win.
"I followed President Kast for a number of years and watched his political trajectory," he said. "I met him a few years ago and we spent some time with him at President Milei's inauguration in Buenos Aires and was just thrilled when he won."
Ganley described Kast as "rock-solid, completely sound on all issues — a small "c" conservative."
"He is a family man, he understands the symbiotic relationship between the free market and the family and how those things are intimately joined up," he said. "You have to protect the family in ways that are conducive to having a spouse and children and building a society worth living in."
He emphasized his belief that Kast has "the ability to course-correct Chile and put it on track to become what it should have been: one of the richest countries in the world."
"The resources this place has are phenomenal — copper, metals, and phenomenal resources. I think with Kast and Milei, Latin America will be prosperous and strategically important."
John Gizzi is chief political columnist and White House correspondent for Newsmax. For more of his reports, Go Here Now.
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