Chile's Bolsonaro? Hard-right Kast rises with frank talk, crime focus

[Carlitos Brigante]

https://news.yahoo.com/chiles-bolsonaro-hard-kast-rises-110700175.html

Kast, the candidate for the Christian Social Front, has become a flagbearer of the "unapologetic" right wing in Chile, which has hardened in response to the rise of the progressive political left in the wake of angry and sometimes violent street protests in 2019.

"They call us intolerant and extreme, because we speak the truth and say things head-on. Unlike the left, we have never endorsed violence," Kast wrote on Twitter in late October.

Critics say his treatment of the political class - he has called Congress a "circus" - and proposals that have included building a ditch to curb illegal immigration are reminiscent of right-wing populist leaders like Bolsonaro and Trump.

But he has played down those comparisons and as the Nov. 21 vote has approached and his polling numbers have climbed has looked to soften his image, as well as seeking to maintain distance between himself and the unpopular ruling center-right government of Sebastian Pinera.

[luckone]

1. Argentina also saw the right have some big gains in elections last week

The party leader Milei has refused vax for Covid, denies climate change is real, and is out there bragging about sex adventures like TFG