By Alexander Villegas and Fabian Cambero
VALPARAISO/SANTIAGO, March 10 (Reuters) – Jose Antonio Kast was sworn in as Chile’s president on Wednesday, ushering in the country’s sharpest shift to the right in decades as voters, alarmed by rising insecurity, backed a broader conservative turn sweeping parts of Latin America.
Regional presidents including Argentina’s Javier Milei, Ecuador’s Daniel Noboa and Paraguay’s Santiago Pena, as well as Spain’s King Felipe, traveled to Chile to attend the transfer of power ceremony in the coastal city of Valparaiso, where Congress is located.
Kast takes over from left-wing President Gabriel Boric, to whom he lost the 2021 election, at a time when Chileans are worried about rising crime and the economy.
A shooting that left one police officer brain dead earlier in the day in the southern city of Puerto Varas highlighted those security concerns and led Kast to send his new security minister, Trinidad Steinert, to the city once the ceremony concluded.
“There’s going to be a before and an after. Whoever attacks a (police officer) attacks Chile,” Kast told reporters when asked about the shooting earlier in the day.
“We’re going to find them, judge them and apply the full force of the law.”
Kast has promised to clamp down on migration and crime while boosting economic growth through deregulation, spending cuts and market-friendly policy. Chile is the world’s largest copper producer and Kast was elected during an economic upswing, but takes office as the Iran war rattles global markets.
The political transition also saw increased tensions between the incoming and outgoing administration over heightened pressure from the U.S. over a proposed Chinese undersea cable project.
“(Kast) will have to manage an increasingly challenging international geopolitical landscape,” said Guillermo Holzmann, a political analyst from the University of Valparaiso, noting economic risks from the Iran war, the U.S.’ security strategy in the region and China’s influence in Latin America.
“These decisions will require sophisticated diplomacy and strategic medium- and long-term vision.”
Kast, who swore in his ministers during the ceremony, will also face a divided Congress that could hamper an agenda he’s vowed to deliver quickly.
“Speedy and effective delivery on his three priority issues – security immigration, and the economy – will be essential,” said Nicholas Watson, managing director of Teneo consultancy, adding that “a barrage of initiatives is expected over the next three months.”
(Reporting by Alexander Villegas and Fabian Cambero; Editing by Aidan Lewis, Cassandra Garrison and Alistair Bell)
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