Chile’s President-Elect Voices Support for Ousting Venezuela’s Maduro
Kast pledges support to topple Maduro's regime.
In a forthright and uncompromising declaration during his inaugural foreign trip to Buenos Aires just days after his electoral triumph, Chile's hard-right President-elect Jose Antonio Kast articulated firm backing for any measures capable of dismantling what he described as the entrenched dictatorship under Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, signalling a confrontational stance on regional affairs from the outset of his tenure.
Speaking to journalists after productive discussions with Argentine President Javier Milei, Kast explicitly ruled out any direct Chilean involvement or intervention in Venezuela's internal matters, yet stressed that the successful termination of Maduro's rule by external actors would alleviate an enormous burden not only for Chile but for the entirety of Latin America, South America, and even distant European countries grappling with the repercussions of the massive Venezuelan migrant outflow.
Kast's resounding victory in Sunday's presidential run-off over a leftist contender was anchored in a platform prioritising stringent immigration controls, including pledges to expel more than 300,000 irregular migrants—primarily Venezuelans—alongside comprehensive strategies to fortify northern borders and aggressively address escalating domestic crime rates that have concerned the Chilean populace.
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This electoral outcome reinforces a pronounced rightward political shift sweeping Latin America, building on recent conservative or libertarian successes in countries including Argentina under Milei, Bolivia, Honduras, El Salvador, and Ecuador, with Milei promptly congratulating Kast and framing the result as a vital advancement in upholding principles of life, liberty, and private property across the region.
Kast directly attributed Venezuela's catastrophic economic implosion and the consequent exodus of millions to the policies of Maduro, whom he denounced as a narco-dictator, while maintaining that the onus for resolution lies elsewhere, though pledging unequivocal support for those who undertake it—amid reports of hundreds of Venezuelan migrants encountering barriers at Chile's border with Peru as they attempt to comply with pre-election calls for voluntary departure.
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