The cabinet of Chilean President José Antonio Kast, who took office on March 11, includes appointees who worked with Kast during his presidential campaigns, as well as technocrats and figures associated with various right-wing parties. Among them are Foreign Minister Francisco Pérez Mackenna, Finance Minister Jorge Quiroz and Minister of Economy and Mining Daniel Mas, as well as two attorneys who defended late dictator Augusto Pinochet: Defense Minister Fernando Barros and Minister of Justice and Human Rights Fernando Rabat. What does the composition of Kast’s cabinet say about his priorities and how he will govern? What do Kast’s top cabinet members bring to his government? What are the implications of the two cabinet members’ ties to Pinochet?
Carolina Costa Hurtado, head of policy at Red Flag Global: “The composition of President José Antonio Kast’s cabinet reflects a political shift, paired with an effort to anchor that shift in technical expertise and governability. The inclusion of experienced economists and policy professionals, such as Foreign Minister Francisco Pérez Mackenna, Finance Minister Jorge Quiroz and Economy Minister Daniel Mas, signals a focus on macroeconomic stability, fiscal discipline and sustaining investor confidence in Chile as a regional investment hub. This points to a governing approach centered on predictability and economic management. In this context, the private sector will be closely watching early signals on regulatory stability, tax policy and the administration’s broader commitment to a business-friendly environment. At the same time, the presence of close political allies suggests a preference for cohesion and disciplined execution of the government’s agenda. While this may enable more decisive policymaking, it could also narrow the range of internal debate. The appointments of Defense Minister Fernando Barros and Justice Minister Fernando Rabat, given their past legal defense of Augusto Pinochet, introduce a sensitive dimension. While their roles can be framed in terms of legal expertise, these ties carry symbolic weight in Chile’s democratic context and are likely to draw scrutiny, particularly on issues of historical memory and institutional trust. Overall, the cabinet suggests a government prioritizing economic stabilization and policy clarity, while navigating political sensitivities. For Chile, a key economy and democracy in the region, the test will be whether this approach can sustain growth, reinforce institutional credibility and maintain social cohesion in an evolving global environment.”
Julio E. Ligorría, senior director of public relations and government affairs at Roar Media: “President José Antonio Kast’s cabinet reflects a governing approach shaped by Chile’s post-authoritarian evolution and the rupture introduced by the 2019 social unrest, though its coherence will depend on political conditions that remain unsettled. After the return to democracy in 1990, Chile operated within a relatively stable framework that combined market-oriented economics with expanding social protections and a sustained, if contested, commitment to human rights. The post-2019 cycle, driven by both institutional demands and deeper social pressures around inequality and public services, shifted attention toward reform and constitutional change. Kast’s cabinet points to a shift back toward order and fiscal control, with more focus on getting policy implemented, even within a constrained institutional setting. The composition points to a presidency focused on early, visible results. The prominence of technocrats and business-linked figures recalls the 1990s, when democratic governments built on a market framework shaped in part during the Pinochet era, maintaining macroeconomic discipline and investor confidence as they gradually expanded social policy. Today’s context is less permissive. Finance Minister Jorge Quiroz brings orthodox economic credentials aligned with fiscal restraint. Economy and Mining Minister Daniel Mas offers sector-level experience tied to project execution, particularly in mining. Foreign Minister Francisco Pérez Mackenna contributes corporate networks that support a commercially oriented foreign policy. Kast has combined close allies with figures from across the right, which may reduce friction within the executive while leaving broader coalition tensions unresolved. This is an executive-driven government structured for implementation, operating within a fragmented political environment. The appointments of Defense Minister Fernando Barros and Justice Minister Fernando Rabat, both linked to Pinochet’s legal defense, carry institutional implications. They place added pressure on ministries tied to civilian oversight and human rights continuity. While Chile’s institutions remain intact, these choices complicate perceptions of neutrality and may affect how the state’s commitments are interpreted in practice.”
Patricio Navia, clinical professor of liberal studies at New York University and professor of political science at Universidad Diego Portales in Chile: “The composition of President Kast’s cabinet suggests that his government will be more like a traditional right-wing, business-friendly and morally conservative administration than an administration that closely aligns with the confrontational and disruptive MAGA type of recent right-wing governments in Latin America. Kast appointed career politicians to key positions, as well as career lawyers and economists who have spent decades working with elite companies. Although he also appointed a couple of people who became household names because of their participation in social media outlets, the cabinet is far more a group of conservative traditionalists and technocrats than an ensemble of online media-savvy radical right-wingers. Some people have noted the connections of some cabinet ministers with Augusto Pinochet, but Pinochet is a far more relevant name in the international media than in Chilean politics today. Chileans in general do not have a good opinion of the Pinochet dictatorship. There surely are people who remain nostalgic of those years—and most of them probably like Kast for his right-wing views—but most Chileans don’t see Pinochet as a relevant factor in today’s politics. Kast himself makes it a point to criticize human rights violations when talking about the Pinochet regime. In fact, when talking about the military dictatorship, Kast often prefers to focus on the polarization and chaos that preceded the 1973 military coup. In that sense, he seeks to portray Pinochet as the inevitable consequence of the radicalization of the Allende years and Allende’s attempt to make Chile a socialist country. It is easy to generalize and put Milei, Bolsonaro, Bukele, Noboa and other right-wing leaders in the same ideological basket. But Kast is not a vociferous populist. He is far more constrained than Milei or Bukele. He is a free market advocate, unlike President Trump, who declares love for tariffs. Kast talks about strengthening institutions and calls on his supporters to be cordial to political opponents. He does embrace strong anti-immigrant views and advocates for iron-fist policies to fight crime, but he clearly understands that Chileans today care about the economy and crime, not about relitigating the painful legacies of the Pinochet years.”
Maria Velez de Berliner, chief strategy officer at RTG-Red Team Group, Inc.: “Former President Boric opened the space for Kast to bring Chileans from a mostly failed left to the ultra-right, as demonstrated by his selection of his cabinet. Kast’s cabinet shows he intends to govern from the ultra-right, which in Latin America means militarization of security institutions and repression of the opposition. The priorities of Kast and his cabinet are stopping illegal immigration, assuring personal security and improving the economy. His anti-immigration policies may backfire. Chileans will not accept crimes allegedly committed by illegal immigrants, but nor will they do without immigrants, who keep the economy running. That two cabinet ministers had close ties to Pinochet hopefully does not mean a return to Pinochet politics of repression and murder. Kast, for all his right-wing talk, is no Pinochet. He is governing in an age of instant ‘journalism.’ Today, everybody has a camera at the ready. And Boric followers will certainly film perceived wrongdoing by the government. In time, we can expect street demonstrations against the regime, particularly against the two Pinochet cabinet ministers. Kast and his cabinet need to prop up the Chilean economy and establish personal security policies that respect human rights and are deployed against criminals, not the valid anti-government opposition. It is one thing to be elected on an ultra-right platform. It is another is to govern the Chile of today that remembers Pinochet as a historical figure and where the opposition will not go quietly.”
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