Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated Jose Antonio Kast Rist on assuming office as the President of Chile. He expressed optimism about enhancing the bilateral relations between India and Chile, emphasizing cooperation in trade, technology, and energy. Modi extended his best wishes for a successful tenure to the newly elected Chilean leader.
Jose Antonio Kast was sworn in as Chile’s new president during a formal ceremony at the National Congress building in Valparaíso. The 60-year-old leader officially took office in the presence of senior officials and international dignitaries. Outgoing President Gabriel Boric attended the ceremony and passed on the traditional emblem symbolizing the authority of the Chilean presidency to his successor.
Following the inauguration, Kast hosted foreign delegations at a luncheon at the Cerro Castillo Presidential Palace in Vina del Mar. The event is a customary part of Chile’s presidential inauguration, with several international leaders in attendance, including Spain’s King Felipe VI and presidents from Argentina, Bolivia, Panama, Honduras, Costa Rica, Paraguay, and Uruguay.
A lawyer by profession, Kast has been a prominent figure in Chile’s right-wing politics. His political career started at the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile, where he joined the Gremial Movement. Kast later spent almost two decades with the right-wing Independent Democratic Union (UDI) party, serving as a municipal council member and a member of Congress. In 2019, he founded the Republican Party, advocating a stronger conservative political stance.
