José Antonio Kast Rist

President of the Republic of Chile

José Antonio Kast Rist was born in Santiago, Chile, on January 18, 1966. A lawyer by profession, he assumed office as President of the Republic of Chile on March 11, 2026, for a four-year term.

He is the youngest of ten children born to Michael Martin Kast Schindele and Olga Rist Hagspiel, German immigrants who settled in Paine and Buin, south of Santiago. He is married to María Pía Adriasola Barroilhet, a lawyer, with whom he has nine children.

President Kast completed his primary and secondary education at the German School of Santiago before studying law at the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile. During his university years, he was actively involved in student representation, serving on the University's Superior Council and participating in the Law School's student leadership. He was admitted to the legal profession before the Supreme Court of Chile in August 1991. His professional experience includes private legal practice and academic work as a teaching assistant at the University's Faculty of Economics and Administrative Sciences.

His career in elected public office began in 1996, when he was elected to the Municipal Council of Buin, in Chile's Metropolitan Region, serving until 2000. In 2001, he was elected to the Chamber of Deputies of Chile, beginning a 16 year parliamentary career. Between 2002 and 2014, he represented the municipalities of San Bernardo, Calera de Tango, Buin and Paine. He subsequently represented La Reina and Peñalolén from 2014 to 2018, completing four consecutive terms in the Chilean Congress.

After leaving the Independent Democratic Union (UDI) in 2016, he pursued an independent political path and ran for President of the Republic in 2017. In 2018, he founded the political movement Acción Republicana, which paved the way for the establishment of the Republican Party of Chile, of which he became the first president. In 2021, he ran for President for a second time, advancing to the second round of the presidential election held in December of that year.

In 2025, José Antonio Kast launched his third presidential campaign. Following the first round of voting in November, he advanced to the second round of the presidential election, held on December 14, 2025, in which he was elected President of the Republic of Chile with more than 7.2 million votes, securing approximately 58% of the valid votes cast.

Following his inauguration at the National Congress in Valparaíso, President Kast began his administration with a focus on public security, the rule of law, economic growth, fiscal responsibility and the strengthening of public institutions, alongside efforts to promote investment, employment and international cooperation.