STORY: :: Santiago, Chile / March 11, 2026
:: Jose Antonio Kast says Chile needs an 'emergency government' in his first speech as president
:: Jose Antonio Kast, President of Chile
"They've handed us a country in conditions worse than we imagined. A country with weakened public finances. A country where organized crime and drug trafficking have advanced. A country where families feel abandoned by the state. Saying that we received the country in bad conditions is not an excuse, we say it because Chile deserves to know the truth."
"Chile needs an emergency government and that's what we'll be. An emergency government is not a slogan, it is the reality that we are going to live."
In his first address to the nation, Kast described a country riddled with organized crime and weak finances and painted his administration as an emergency government aimed at fixing those problems.
Kast also called for unity and said the government would conduct audits across the government and crack down on crime, immigration and corruption.
Kast takes office from left-wing President Gabriel Boric - who beat him in 2021 - as Chile grapples with rising crime, economic jitters, and global market turmoil sparked by the Iran war.
