Lecture
Assessing the Kast Government in Chile: A Case of Illiberal Backlash?
- Date
- Friday 20 November 2026
- Time
- Explanation
- Room open at 15:00 | Language: English | Folllowed by drinks
- Location
-
P.J. Veth
Nonnensteeg 1-3
2311 VJ Leiden - Room
- 1.01
Latin America is currently experiencing a distinct shift to the right. In countries such as Honduras, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Argentina, and Chile, left-wing governments have recently been replaced by (far) right-wing leaders. Meanwhile, the remaining leftist governments in Mexico, Cuba, Nicaragua, and Brazil are facing today strong political, diplomatic and commercial pressure from the Trump administration.
In Chile, right-wing conservative candidate José Antonio Kast won the December 2025 presidential election, securing 58 per cent of the votes. His triumph brought an end to the left-wing administration led by Gabriel Boric. Kast's presidential campaign focused heavily on combating street insecurity and organised crime, tackling irregular immigration, and boosting economic growth.
Following its installation in March 2026, the Kast government has put forward a number of reforms towards a tougher citizen security policy which have produced some controversy. These reforms have been criticised by the opposition, alleguing among other things poor communication with the Congress and warning for the possible concentration of power by the president.
This lecture will assess the Kast government’s general performance until today. Can the Kast administration be defined as a far-right government that is steering the country onto an illiberal course? In addition, it places the Kast administration in the larger regional and geopolitical context, analysing to what extent is the Kast government aligned with the US hegemonic goals pursued by the Trump administration. And, finally, it will contrast the Kast administration to other right-wing governments in the region.
This lecture will be delivered (in English) by Patricio Silva, Professor Emeritus of Modern Latin American History, Leiden University.
The lecture will be followed by a discussion with the audience and will be closed with drinks.
Sponsor
The event is sponsored by the Chile Visiting Chair, a long-standing academic collaboration between Leiden University and the Diego Portales University (Universidad Diego Portales) in Santiago, Chile. Each year, a prominent Chilean scholar visits Leiden University to teach a specialised seminar course addressing a major social, political, legal, or cultural issue in contemporary Chile. The seminar course is scheduled in the spring semester, block III (February-March). The Chile Visiting Chair 2026-2027 is prof. Carlos Peña, one of Chile's most prominent scholars and public intellectuals.
Registration
The talk is open to the general public. Registration is not compulsory but highly appreciated. Please register here.