José Antonio Kast facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
José Antonio Kast
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Kast in 2025
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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 |
| Parent | Michael Kast (father) |
| Relatives |
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| Alma mater | Pontifical Catholic University of Chile |
| Signature |  |
José Antonio Kast Rist (born 18 January 1966), also known as JAK, is a Chilean lawyer and politician. He is currently running for president in the 2025 Chilean general election. This is his third time seeking the presidency.
Kast comes from the well-known Kast family. He served as a member of the Chamber of Deputies from 2002 to 2018. He represented District 24, which includes Peñalolén and La Reina. He was part of the Independent Democratic Union until 2016. After that, he was an independent politician until 2019. In 2019, he started the conservative Chilean Republican Party. He also founded a research group called Republican Ideas.
Kast first ran for president as an independent in the 2017 Chilean general election. In 2018, he created the Republican Action Movement. He ran for president again in 2021. He won the first round but lost in the second round to Gabriel Boric. From 2022 to 2024, he was the president of the Political Network for Values, an international organization.
Kast supports strong laws and free-market economic ideas. He has spoken against certain social changes.
Biography
Early Life and Education
José Antonio Kast's parents, Michael Kast Schindele and Olga Rist Hagspiel, were from Bavaria. His father moved to Chile in 1950. His mother and two siblings arrived in Chile in 1951.
The family started a sausage factory called Cecinas Bavaria in 1962. This business helped the family become successful. José Antonio Kast was one of ten children. His brother, Miguel Kast, was an economist who worked for the government. His nephews, Felipe Kast and Pablo Kast, are also involved in politics.
Kast studied law at the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile. There, he joined the Movimiento Gremialista, a student group. He also ran for president of the university's student federation. As a student, Kast appeared on television to support a political option in a national vote.
In 1990, Kast started his own law firm. He also worked as a director for a real estate company owned by his family.
Political Career
From 1996 to 2000, Kast served as a councilman in Buin. In 2001, he was elected to the Chamber of Deputies. He represented District 30, which included San Bernardo. He was also the Secretary General of the Independent Democratic Union party. He later left this party to run for president.
While in the Chamber of Deputies, Kast received support from the Bishop of San Bernardo. The bishop encouraged his community to support those who shared his views on family values. This support helped Kast in his political career.
2017 Presidential Campaign
On 18 August 2017, Kast officially registered as an independent candidate for president. He gathered over 43,000 signatures to qualify. He was supported by various groups, including those who believe in conservative and nationalist ideas.
Kast promoted ideas like "less taxes, less government, and protecting life." He also spoke about controlling immigration. During his campaign, he suggested that older prisoners with health issues should be released. He received 523,213 votes in the 2017 Chilean general election. This was about 7.93% of the total votes, placing him in fourth place.
In the second round of the election, he supported Sebastián Piñera, who won. Kast stated that he believed Chileans needed faith. He also said that schools should offer religious education if students choose it.
Forming Political Movements (2018–2022)
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In 2018, Kast suggested closing the border with Bolivia. He believed this would help fight against illegal activities. In March 2018, Kast faced protests during a tour of Chilean universities. He was scheduled to speak at the Arturo Prat University but was physically attacked by people who disagreed with his views. He also claimed that some universities tried to prevent him from speaking.
In the 2018 Brazilian general election, Kast supported Jair Bolsonaro. In April 2018, Kast started a political group called Republican Action.
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In September 2019, Kast was questioned about money transferred to companies in Panama. He said the companies belonged to his brother, Christian Kast, not him. He also defended the right of Chileans to invest money outside the country.
In May 2019, he created the Republican Ideas research group. In June 2019, he founded the Chilean Republican Party. He disagreed with the large demonstrations that happened during the 2019–2021 Chilean protests. He said they were not just social movements but also involved violence. As public support for the protests decreased, Kast gained support from Chileans who opposed the violence.
During the 2020 Chilean national referendum about changing the Constitution of Chile, Kast was a main supporter of rejecting the change. The "reject" option received 21.72% of the votes, but the change was approved by 78.28%.
In the 2021 Chilean Constitutional Convention election, Kast's party joined with another group called Chile Vamos. They formed a list of candidates called Vamos por Chile. This list received 20.6% of the votes. This meant they had less than one-third of the seats in the Constitutional Convention.
In the 2022 Chilean constitutional referendum, the Republican Party supported the "Rejection" option. This option won, unlike in the previous vote. This time, voting was required for everyone.
2021 Presidential Campaign
In 2018, Kast announced he would run for president in the 2021 Chilean general election. For this election, he ran under his own Republican Party. He also formed a group called the Christian Social Front with another party.
Kast's campaign ideas included pardoning some former officials who were older. He also proposed changes to government ministries and building more prisons. His campaign slogan, "make Chile a great country," was compared to a similar slogan used by Donald Trump.
Kast did not participate in the Chile Vamos presidential primary. At first, another candidate, Sebastián Sichel, was seen as the main right-wing candidate. However, after a television debate, Kast's support grew, and he became the leading candidate on the right. He received the most votes in the first round of the election, nearly 28%. This allowed him to move to the second round against Gabriel Boric.
After his success in the first round, Kast gained support from most right-wing groups in Chile, including President Sebastián Piñera. He also connected with other right-wing figures internationally. He signed a document called the Madrid Charter, which criticized left-wing groups. On 30 November 2021, Kast met with US Senator Marco Rubio and business leaders in Washington, D.C.
On 18 December, Franco Parisi, another former presidential candidate, supported José Antonio Kast. This decision came after a vote among Parisi's party members.
In the second round of the election, held on 19 December, Kast received 44.13% of the votes. He lost to Gabriel Boric, who became Chile's new president with 55.87% of the votes. On 19 December 2021, Kast accepted his defeat and promised to work together constructively. 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 conservative group called "Political Network for Values."
Constitutional Council 2023
Before the 2023 election, Kast's party was against creating the Constitutional Council. However, once it was clear the council would be formed, they decided to participate.
In 2023, the Constitutional Council was created to write a new Constitution. This council had 51 members. In May of that year, Chileans elected 34 members from right-leaning parties and 16 from left-leaning parties. In November, the Republican Party decided to support the "In Favor" option in the December vote. However, the "Against" option won. After this defeat, José Antonio Kast admitted the campaign had not succeeded.
2025 Presidential Campaign
In November 2024, the Republican Party confirmed José Antonio Kast as their candidate for the first round of the 2025 Chilean presidential election. They decided not to join primary elections with other opposition candidates.
Political Views
Kast has been described as a right-wing populist. He supports strong laws and free-market economic ideas. He has said that the 2021 election was a choice "between freedom and communism."
Kast has spoken against certain social changes. He supports social benefits mainly for married women. He also believes in defending Chile's European heritage and national unity. He has expressed doubts about the scientific agreement on climate change. His way of speaking and his conservative views have been compared to Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro. Kast's idea of building a barrier along the Chile-Bolivia border has been compared to former U.S. president Donald Trump's idea for a wall.
Personal Life
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Kast is married to María Pía Adriasola. They have nine children together. He is a practicing Catholic and a member of the Schoenstatt Apostolic Movement.
Images for kids
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José Antonio Kast during a march supporting the protection of life.
See also
In Spanish: José Antonio Kast para niños
