José Antonio Kast

Some Lesser Known Facts About José Antonio Kast

• José Antonio Kast Rist was born in Santiago, Chile, into a large German-origin family.

• His parents were Michael Kast Schindele and Olga Rist Hagspiel, both born in Bavaria, Germany, in 1924. Historical records state his father served as a lieutenant in the German Army during World War II and joined the Nazi Party.

• In December 1950, his father migrated to Chile and settled in Buin, while the rest of the family arrived in 1951.

• In 1962, the Kast family founded Cecinas Bavaria, a sausage business that later became the main source of family wealth.

• José Antonio Kast grew up with nine siblings, although three of them died before their parents. His brother Miguel Kast later became a government minister and Central Bank president during Augusto Pinochet’s military government.

• He is also the uncle of Chilean politicians Pablo Kast, Felipe Kast, and Tomás Kast.

• Kast studied law at the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile and joined the conservative Movimiento Gremialista student movement.

• During his university years, he ran for president of the student federation and became active in right-wing student politics.

• In 1988, he appeared in a television advertisement supporting the “Yes” vote in the Pinochet-era national plebiscite.

• The campaign promoted extending Augusto Pinochet’s rule for another eight years. In 1990, Kast founded a private law firm after completing his legal education.

• During the 1990s, he also managed a family-owned real estate business. He later taught civil law and commercial law at the Institute of Economics of the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile.

• From 1996 to 2000, Kast served as a municipal councilman in the town of Buin. In 2001, he was elected to the Chamber of Deputies representing District 30 in the Santiago metropolitan area.

• He served as a deputy from 2002 until 2018 as a member of the Independent Democratic Union party. During this period, he worked as Secretary General of the party before resigning to pursue a presidential campaign.

• His early political rise received support from conservative Catholic groups opposing abortion, contraception, and same-sex marriage.

• In 2017, Kast ran for president as an independent candidate after collecting more than forty-three thousand supporting signatures.

• His campaign promoted lower taxes, reduced government size, opposition to abortion, and stricter immigration controls.

• He received over five hundred thousand votes, finishing fourth and exceeding most pre-election polling expectations.

• In the second round, he publicly supported Sebastián Piñera, who later won the presidency. In 2018, Kast endorsed Jair Bolsonaro during Brazil’s presidential election.

• That year, he launched the right-wing political movement Acción Republicana. In 2019, he faced allegations regarding undeclared funds linked to Panama-based companies, which he said belonged to his brother.

• In May 2019, he founded the Republican Ideas think tank. In June 2019, he officially founded the Republican Party. He opposed the 2019 social protests, describing them as violent actions that harmed public order.

• During the 2020 constitutional referendum, Kast campaigned for rejection of a new constitution, which was defeated. In 2021, his party allied with Chile Vamos for the Constitutional Convention elections and gained significant representation.

• Kast ran for president again in 2021 as the Republican Party candidate. His proposals included banning abortion, pardoning elderly former Pinochet officials, and leaving international human rights bodies.

• He won the first round but lost the December 2021 runoff to Gabriel Boric.

• From March 2022 to December 2024, Kast served as president of the international Political Network for Values. In the 2022 constitutional referendum, his party supported rejection, which won under mandatory voting.

• In 2023, the Republican Party secured a majority of seats in the Constitutional Council elections. The proposed constitution supported by his party was later rejected in the December 2023 plebiscite.

• On 29 November 2024, the Republican Party confirmed Kast as its candidate for the 2025 presidential election. He officially registered his campaign in August 2025 under the slogan ‘La fuerza del cambio.’

• His campaign focused on public security, economic recovery, institutional reform, and immigration control. Kast finished second in the first round and advanced to a runoff against Jeannette Jara.

• On 14 December 2025, he won the presidential runoff with more than fifty-eight percent of the vote. He secured victories in all sixteen regions and recorded one of the highest vote totals in Chilean history.

• Kast stated plans to govern quickly and described Congress as less central, later clarifying his remarks. His campaign used social media platforms such as TikTok to reach younger voters.

• José Antonio Kast is scheduled to be inaugurated as President of Chile on 11 March 2026. He will assume office without an absolute majority in Congress, requiring cooperation with other political parties.

• After his election, he announced plans for voluntary departure and deportation measures for undocumented migrants. Kast confirmed he will live in the Palacio de La Moneda with his wife after taking office.

• He married María Pía Adriasola on 20 December 1990, and the couple have nine children.

• He is a practicing Roman Catholic and a member of the Schoenstatt Movement.

• Kast currently lives with his family in Paine, near Santiago, Chile.

• Kast’s family has experienced personal tragedies, including deaths of siblings due to illness, accidents, and childhood incidents. One brother left the priesthood after exposing sexual abuse, while another manages the family business.