Colombia Divided Over Far-Right Victory of Kast in Chile

Written on 12/15/2025
Josep Freixes
Colombia reacts in a divided and polarized manner to the victory of the far right Kast in Chile, with internal interpretations for 2026. Credit: Andrea Puentes / Presidency of Colombia.

The resounding victory of far-right candidate José Antonio Kast in Chile’s presidential election this past Sunday has generated political reverberations beyond its borders, especially in Colombia. With nearly 58% of the vote against left-wing candidate Jeannette Jara, Kast is poised to become the new occupant of La Moneda Palace for the 2026–2030 term, marking one of the sharpest shifts to the right in the region since Chile’s return to democracy.

His triumph, associated with a campaign centered on a hardline approach to insecurity, irregular migration, and criticism of the previous progressive administration, has been met with a range of conflicting reactions across Latin America’s political landscape and, in particular, in Colombia.

In Bogotá, the news landed amid growing polarization as Colombia prepares for its 2026 presidential elections. The impact of Kast’s victory is perceived not only as a change in direction for Chile, but also as a possible harbinger of the ideological tensions that also run through Colombian politics.

Leaders and figures from different sectors of the political spectrum spoke out in the hours after the results became known, reflecting reactions ranging from congratulations to deep ideological alarm.

Colombia divided over far-right victory of Kast in Chile: Petro rejects it

The response from Colombian President Gustavo Petro was immediate and laden with strong symbolism that connects with the deepest concerns of progressivism in the region.

“Fascism is advancing; I will never shake hands with a Nazi or with the son of a Nazi either; they are the death of humanity. It is sad that Pinochet had to impose himself by force, but even sadder now is that peoples choose their Pinochet: elected or not, they are sons of Hitler, and Hitler kills peoples. He is the demon against life, and every Latin American knows how to resist,” he wrote last night on his account on the social network X.

Petro added that “from the south and from the north come the winds of death,” in reference to the recent victories of far-right candidates in Latin America, who already control countries as important in the region as Argentina or Chile.

This stance by the Colombian president reveals not only concern over the displacement of left-wing governments in the region, but also a discursive strategy aimed at mobilizing support bases ahead of the 2026 elections. Petro’s reading of the Chilean situation goes beyond an electoral analysis: he interprets Kast’s victory as part of a regional pattern that could also affect political aspirations in Colombia. With a call for political “resistance,” he suggested an intensification of rhetorical tone in a key year for national politics.

Reactions from the opposition and other right-wing leaders in Colombia

While President Petro expressed alarm, right-wing figures and conservative sectors in Colombia celebrated Kast’s victory as a triumph of values they consider essential for governing: security, order, and respect for democratic institutions.

Former president Iván Duque, for example, congratulated Kast on social media, stating that the Chilean people “reaffirmed their commitment to democracy, freedom, and the rule of law,” and wished him success in his administration, underscoring the importance of deep dialogue with all political actors to strengthen security and institutional progress.

“We congratulate José Antonio Kast on his election as president of Chile. The Chilean people expressed themselves massively at the polls and reaffirmed their commitment to democracy, freedom, and the rule of law. We wish him great success in the important task of fostering deep dialogue with all political actors, so that it may strengthen security and promote progress with full respect for institutions,” the former Colombian president wrote on social media.

Other voices on the Colombian right likewise interpreted the Chilean result as a clear political message that could resonate in Colombia. Daniel Palacios, a former minister and presidential candidate, said that Kast’s victory indicates that “our peoples need order, security, and respect for the law,” while urging President Petro to “respect the ballot box” and maintain respectful relations with Chile.

Vicky Dávila, also a right-wing presidential candidate, described the victory as a “crushing defeat” for the left and used the moment to send a message aimed at a domestic audience. “Chileans woke up after living through the left-wing government of Gabriel Boric. And that’s despite the fact that Boric has at least been able to condemn Nicolás Maduro, head of the Cartel of the Suns. So Colombia’s situation is even more complex with the diabolical duo: Cepeda-Petro. Together we are going to save Colombia from NEOCOMMUNISM…,” she wrote on her social media account, in an exercise that places her within the conservative trend of linking the entire Colombian left to disqualifying neologisms.

Colombian progressivism on alert for 2026 in the face of the strength of the regional far right

Among the critical voices are also some sectors traditionally associated with more centrist or progressive positions, which interpret the Chilean result as a warning about the risks of sectarianism and internal fragmentation.

Former ambassador and political leader Roy Barreras described Kast’s victory as the “darkest fascism” and warned Colombia not to “make the same mistake.” Daniel Quintero, former mayor of Medellín and also a progressive contender for the Colombian presidency in 2026, noted that the results in Chile leave a lesson about the dangers of a polarized approach that divides more than it unites, suggesting that progressivism must reevaluate its strategy to build majorities capable of competing effectively in highly polarized scenarios.

Like Dávila, but in the opposite direction, he offered an internal reading and took the opportunity to criticize his main electoral rival within the left, Iván Cepeda. “The most closed-off left in Chile—the one led by Jara—and the most sectarian left in Colombia—the one led by Cepeda—made the same mistake: they believed that to win it was enough to rely on the ‘hard core,’ without needing those who made the progressive victory possible four years ago. They were wrong,” he said.

Implications for regional Latin American politics

José Antonio Kast’s victory in Chile fits into a broader context in which several Latin American countries have seen advances by far-right political forces in recent years. This trend, which has included the victories of leaders such as Javier Milei in Argentina and the strengthening of conservative governments in other countries, raises questions about the direction the region will take in terms of economic, migration, and social policies.

For left-wing leaders in Colombia, this scenario is perceived as a threat to the social gains achieved over the past decade, while for right-wing sectors—traditional ones as well, now clearly embracing much more extreme positions—it represents an opportunity to assert models based on security, the market, and the specter of “neocommunism.”

Kast’s victory will produce the most right-wing government since the Pinochet dictatorship, a regime defended by Chile’s president-elect. Likewise, this clear victory of positions that have little to do with traditional Latin American conservatism is generating deep debates in Colombia, which is conducting its own reading of an imminent domestic electoral scenario.

With an eye on 2026, reactions to the triumph of Chile’s far right not only reflect profound ideological differences but also anticipate how the struggle for power in Colombia could take shape in the coming months. In this environment, the “winds of death” warned of by Petro evoke for some more than a metaphor: they represent the intensity of a political battle that has already begun.