The president of Chile, José Antonio Kast, from the far-right conservative, appears this Monday before the National Congress in the city of Valparaíso, 120 kilometers west of Santiago de Chile, to present the first Public Account of his Government, which began 82 days ago.
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The president delivers his speech after an intense start of his term, which has been marked by the presentation of a mega economic and tax reform, as well as budget cuts in various areas of the Administration. The opening of the right-wing Government has also been affected by an early ministerial adjustment, which aimed to change the faces in charge of two poorly evaluated areas: public security and communication. Almost two weeks before the public account, Kast decided to remove the Minister of Security, Trinidad Steinert, and the spokesperson Mara Sedini, who were replaced by Martín Arrau and Claudio Alvarado, respectively.
KAST GOVERNMENT
President Kast calls for “hope” hours before his first Public Account, while disapproval rises to 53%
The Cabinet reshuffle on May 19 did not give new life to José Antonio Kast’s Government, who will deliver his first Public Account before Congress this Monday. Although he changed his Minister of Security, former prosecutor Trinidad Steinert — who faced criticism even from within the ruling party — and replaced her with Republican Martín Arrau, the Criteria survey released this Sunday shows that in the area where the right-wing leader based his campaign promises, expectations have declined: it dropped six points since May 10 in the question about whether he knows how to tackle crime, where he registered 38%, “the steepest drop among all management attributes measured,” says the survey. And although the president’s approval, which is at 36%, has not changed much since April, when it began to fall from the 46% recorded in March, his disapproval rose four points, from 49% to 53%.
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Kast’s activities on Public Account day
Kast’s agenda for June 1 begins at 11:00 a.m. (Chilean time), when the official photo will be taken along with his ministerial Cabinet at the presidential palace of Cerro Castillo. From there he will move to the National Congress headquarters in the city of Valparaíso, where he will deliver the Public Account starting at 12:00 p.m. At 3:00 p.m., the president will lead a political and security committee with his ministers and representatives of the Armed Forces and Order. At 6:00 p.m., he will lead a meeting with the Minister of Finance, Jorge Quiroz, and the Minister of Security, Martín Arrau, where he has summoned right-wing deputies and senators. At the close, at 8:00 p.m., Kast will meet with senators from the Republican Party.
Kast hopes the mega reform will be approved, even if by one vote
Hours before delivering the public account, the president has given interviews to various Chilean television channels, where he has previewed some of the contents of his speech. In one of those conversations, the president said he hopes the mega reform with an economic and tax focus, which will begin its process in the Senate, will be approved even if by a single vote difference. “The important thing is that we move forward. I hope this generates greater consensus, that there is an attitude from all sectors to put the person at the center and how we move Chile forward. Hopefully there will be more votes, but if it is just one vote, well, we have to keep moving forward, because Chile cannot wait,” Kast told CNN Chile.
Welcome to the 2026 public account coverage
Good morning, dear readers! EL PAÍS begins coverage of the first public account of the president of Chile, José Antonio Kast, from the far-right conservative. The president, who arrived at La Moneda on March 11, must report on the achievements reached during his two months in office and preview his projects for the rest of his term.
