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Chile's incoming president Jose Antonio Kast declared Tuesday he would back any effort to topple Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro, signaling an aggressive regional stance just two days after his landslide election victory.
Speaking to reporters in the Argentine capital during his first international trip as president-elect, Kast made clear that while Chile would not directly intervene in Venezuela's ongoing crisis, he welcomed others taking action. He said ending Maduro's government would resolve "a gigantic problem for us and all of Latin America, all of South America, and even for countries in Europe."
The hard-right leader's comments underscore a dramatic shift in Chilean foreign policy and reflect his campaign promises to take a tougher line on migration and regional security.
Kast secured a decisive win over his leftist opponent in Sunday's runoff election, campaigning on pledges to deport more than 300,000 irregular migrants—most of them Venezuelan—while cracking down on crime and securing Chile's northern border.
His victory marks the latest in a series of right-wing electoral successes across Latin America, following conservative gains in Argentina, Bolivia, Honduras, El Salvador and Ecuador. Argentine President Javier Milei, a libertarian who took office recently, was among the first world leaders to congratulate Kast, praising the result as "another step forward in our region in defense of life, liberty, and private property."
Kast chose Argentina—Chile's neighbor and occasional economic rival—for his inaugural trip abroad, meeting with Milei in Buenos Aires. During a joint press appearance, the Chilean president-elect intensified his rhetoric against Maduro, whom he branded "a narco-dictator" responsible for Venezuela's economic collapse and the resulting migration crisis.
While emphasizing that resolving Venezuela's turmoil was not Chile's direct responsibility, Kast promised support for any initiative aimed at regime change. "If someone is going to do it, let's be clear that it solves a gigantic problem," he told reporters, adding that "whoever does will have our support."
The president-elect's hardline immigration stance has already created friction in the region. Before the election, Kast urged Venezuelans living in Chile to leave voluntarily. However, hundreds of migrants attempting to return home recently found themselves stranded when they were blocked at the Chilean-Peruvian border, highlighting the practical challenges of his deportation agenda.
Venezuela has experienced one of the worst economic and humanitarian crises in modern Latin American history, driving millions of citizens to flee to neighboring countries. Chile has received a substantial influx of Venezuelan migrants in recent years, a trend that became a central issue in the presidential campaign.
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