Chile's President José Antonio Kast faces left criticism over post‑democratic policies

Chilean intellectuals—including theologian Álvaro Ramis, sociologist Aldo Mascareño and former union leader Luis Mesina—warn that President José Antonio Kast’s administration is not a routine conservative alternation but an extensive economic‑political offensive. They argue the government’s mega‑tax reform and related legislation are reshaping the relationship between capital and labour, concentrating power, cutting resources for the Municipal Common Fund and eroding public services in hundreds of municipalities.

The commentators describe this shift as a move toward “post‑democracy,” where democratic institutions increasingly rely on coercive authority, militarisation, populist rhetoric and exclusionary identities. They contend that, despite holding a parliamentary majority, the regime lacks genuine social legitimacy and risks provoking wider social conflict, including the prospect of a general strike.