José Antonio Kast Inaugurated as Chile's President — Pinochet Admirer Takes Power on Anniversary of Democratic Restoration

José Antonio Kast, 60, was inaugurated as Chile's President on March 11, 2026 — the 36th anniversary of the restoration of democracy and the handover from Pinochet to Aylwin. Kast won the runoff election with 58% of the vote, obtaining over 7 million ballots — the largest presidential vote in Chilean history. He has previously stated 'if Pinochet were alive, he would have voted for me.' His cabinet includes Fernando Barros and Fernando Rabat, both former lawyers for Pinochet. His father was a member of the Nazi Party who emigrated from Germany; his brother served as a government minister under Pinochet. Human rights organizations expressed alarm: 139 former military officers convicted of crimes against humanity remain imprisoned, and human rights advocates fear Kast will issue pardons. The Museum of Memory and Human Rights (which receives 500,000 visitors annually) and Villa Grimaldi (the former DINA torture center turned memorial) face potential defunding. The Museum's director Maria Fernanda Garcia warned that Kast's administration risked 'turning a past that was full of horror into something glorified.' The date of the inauguration — March 11 — was seen by many victims' groups as particularly painful symbolism.