José Antonio Kast facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
José Antonio Kast
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Kast in 2024
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| Member of the Chamber of Deputies from East Santiago West Santiago (2002–2014) |
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| In office 11 March 2002 – 11 March 2018 |
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| Preceded by | Pablo Longueira (30th) María Angélica Cristi (24th) |
| Succeeded by | Jaime Bellolio (30th) District abolished (24th) |
| Constituency | 30th district (2002–2014) 24th district (2014–2018) |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
José Antonio Kast Rist
18 January 1966 Santiago, Chile |
| Political party | Republican Party (since 2019) |
| Other political affiliations |
Independent Democratic Union (before 2016) Independent (2016–2019) |
| Spouse |
María Pía Adriasola Barroilhet
(m. 1991) |
| Children | 9 |
| Relatives |
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| Alma mater | Pontifical Catholic University of Chile |
| Signature |  |
José Antonio Kast Rist (born 18 January 1966) is a Chilean lawyer and politician. People also know him by his initials, JAK. He is running for President of Chile for the third time in the 2025 Chilean general election.
Kast comes from a well-known family in Chile. He served as a member of the Chamber of Deputies from 2002 to 2018. This is like being a representative in the country's parliament. He was part of the Independent Democratic Union party until 2016. After that, he became an independent politician for a few years. In 2019, he started his own conservative party, the Chilean Republican Party. He also created a group called Republican Ideas to share political thoughts.
Kast first ran for president in 2017 as an independent candidate. He also started the Republican Action Movement in 2018. In the 2021 election, he ran for president again. He won the first round but lost in the second round to Gabriel Boric. From 2022 to 2024, he was the president of an international group called Political Network for Values.
About José Antonio Kast
Early Life and Family
José Antonio Kast's parents, Michael Kast Schindele and Olga Rist Hagspiel, were from Germany. His father was a soldier in the German Army during World War II. He moved to Chile in 1950 and settled in a town called Buin.
Kast's mother and two of his siblings arrived in Chile in 1951. The family started a sausage factory called Cecinas Bavaria in 1962. This business helped the family become very successful. José Antonio Kast was one of ten children. His late brother, Miguel Kast, was an economist who worked for the government. His nephew, Felipe Kast, is also a politician.
Kast studied law at the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile. While there, he joined a student group called the Guildist Movement. He also ran for president of the university's student federation. As a student, he appeared on TV to support the government in 1988.
In 1990, Kast started his own law firm. He also worked as a director for his family's real estate company in the 1990s.
Political Journey
From 1996 to 2000, Kast was a councilman in Buin. This means he helped manage the local town. In 2001, he was elected to the Chamber of Deputies. He also served as the Secretary General of the Independent Democratic Union party. He later left this party to run for president.
2017 Presidential Campaign
On 18 August 2017, Kast officially became an independent candidate for president. He gathered over 43,000 signatures to qualify. Many groups supported him, including those with right-wing and conservative ideas.
During his campaign, Kast talked about the past military government in Chile. He suggested that older prisoners with health issues, including those convicted of human rights violations, should be forgiven. This idea caused a lot of discussion. In the 2017 election, he received about 7.93% of the votes, finishing in fourth place. After the first round, he supported Sebastián Piñera, who later won the election. Kast also said that the government should support religious education in schools.
Forming Political Groups and Referendums (2018–2022)
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In 2018, Kast asked the Chilean government to end its diplomatic ties with France. This was because France had given safety to a former guerrilla leader.
In March 2018, Kast was giving talks at universities in Chile. At one university, he was physically attacked by people who disagreed with his political views. He also said that other universities tried to stop him from speaking.
In the 2018 Brazilian election, Kast supported Jair Bolsonaro. In April 2018, Kast started a right-wing political group called Republican Action.
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In September 2019, some people accused Kast of not declaring money sent to companies in Panama. Kast said these companies belonged to his brother, not him. He also defended the right of Chileans to invest money outside the country.
In May 2019, he created a group called Republican Ideas. In June 2019, he started the Chilean Republican Party. He did not support the large protests that happened in Chile in 2019. He said they were acts of violence, not a social movement. As people grew tired of the violence, Kast gained support from those who wanted peace.
In 2020, Chile held a vote about changing its Constitution. Kast was a main supporter of voting "Reject" to keep the old Constitution. The "Reject" option received about 21.72% of the votes, but the change was approved by a large majority.
In 2021, Kast's party joined with another group for the election of people to write a new Constitution. Their list of candidates received 20.6% of the votes. This was less than one-third of the total seats in the Constitutional Convention.
In the 2022 vote on the new Constitution, the Republican Party officially supported the "Rejection" option again. This time, "Rejection" won. Voting was required for everyone in this election.
2021 Presidential Campaign
In 2018, Kast said he planned to run for president in the 2021 Chilean general election. This time, he ran with his own Republican Party. He also formed a group called the Christian Social Front with another party. Some of Kast's campaign ideas were discussed a lot. He supported the idea of forgiving former government officials who were older and in prison.
During his campaign, Kast used the slogan "make Chile a great country." This was similar to a slogan used by Donald Trump in the United States. Some of Kast's supporters even wore hats like those worn by Trump's supporters. Kast did not join the main right-wing primary election. At first, another candidate was more popular. But after a TV debate, Kast became the top candidate on the right. He won the first round of the election with almost 28% of the votes. This meant he would face Gabriel Boric in the second round.
After his success, most right-wing groups in Chile supported Kast. He also connected with other right-wing leaders around the world. He signed a document that criticized left-wing groups in Latin America. On 30 November 2021, Kast met with U.S. Senator Marco Rubio and business leaders in Washington, D.C.
On December 18, another former presidential candidate, Franco Parisi, supported Kast. This happened after his party members voted to support Kast.
In the second round of the election on December 19, Kast received 44.13% of the votes. He lost to Gabriel Boric, who became Chile's new president. Kast accepted his defeat and promised to work together with the new government. He was the first candidate since 1999 to win the first round but lose the second.
Leading the "Political Network for Values" (2022−2024)
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From March 2022 to December 2024, Kast was the president of an international group called "Political Network for Values." This group focuses on conservative ideas.
Constitutional Council 2023
Before the 2023 election, Kast's party did not want a new Constitutional Council to be created. However, once it was clear the council would be formed, they decided to take part.
In 2023, the Constitutional Council was created to write a new Constitution. This council had 51 members. In May 2023, Chileans elected 34 members from right-wing parties and 16 from left-wing parties. The Republican Party won 23 of those seats. In November, the party decided to support the "In Favor" option in the December vote on the new Constitution. However, the "Against" option won. After this defeat, José Antonio Kast admitted that the campaign had not succeeded.
2025 Presidential Campaign
In November 2024, the Republican Party announced that José Antonio Kast would be their candidate for the first round of the 2025 Chilean presidential election. They decided not to join primary elections with other parties.
Political Views
Kast is often described as far-right, though he disagrees with this label. He supports law and order and free-market economic policies. He has said that the 2021 election was a choice "between freedom and communism."
Kast is a conservative. He does not support illegal immigration or same-sex marriage in Chile. He believes social benefits should only be for married women. Regarding culture, Kast says he wants to protect Chile's European heritage and national unity. He has been compared to Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro because of his speaking style and conservative views. Kast also supports building a ditch along the Chile-Bolivia border to reduce illegal immigration. This idea has been compared to former U.S. president Donald Trump's idea of a wall.
Personal Life
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Kast is married to María Pía Adriasola. They have nine children. He is a practicing Catholic and a member of the Schoenstatt Apostolic Movement.
Images for kids
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José Antonio Kast's signature
See also
In Spanish: José Antonio Kast para niños
