Republican Party of Chile

Background

José Antonio Kast, the founder of the party, was a deputy for 16 years, and a member of the Independent Democratic Union (UDI) for 20 years. In 2017 he ran for president, finishing in fourth place with nearly 8% of the vote.^[27][28]

Kast became disillusioned with UDI and resigned in protest, believing that the party criticized former Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet too often.^[29][30]

With the base of support he obtained with the election, he decided to found a political movement.

Foundation

The Republican Party began as the Chilean manifestation of the conservative wave in Latin America.^[31] On 3 March 2018, Kast held the first meeting of (what at that time was) the new movement. Some time after, on 9 April, the movement was presented at the Omnium Hall in Las Condes, and it was named "Acción Republicana" (Republican Action).^[32]

On 10 June 2019, Kast presented the party to the Servel, the party formation is still ongoing. More than half of the directive is composed of ex members of the UDI. One of them is the only deputy the party has in the Chamber of Deputies, Ignacio Urrutia.^[33]

On 21 January 2020, the Servel legally constituted the party in the regions of O'Higgins, Maule and Ñuble, after the necessary number of signatures was presented.^[34]

On 14 August 2020, the party was officially constituted in the regions of Biobío and Araucanía, at the same time violent incidents related with the Mapuche conflict were taking place in the zone.^[35]

On 9 September, the party was constituted in Santiago Metropolitan Region, and it was announced that it would present candidates to the municipal elections.^[36] On 19 July 2021, the party was constituted in the regions of Arica and Parinacota, Atacama, Aysén and Magallanes, making it a national-level party, constituted in all Chilean regions.^[37][38]

Beginnings: 2019–2021

Following the social unrest that began in late 2019, Republicans entered the political arena from a position of disadvantage, operating outside the main center-right coalition, Chile Vamos, and with limited institutional representation.^[39][40]

During the 2020 constitutional referendum, the party actively campaigned for the «Reject» option, which obtained approximately 22% of the vote nationwide. Although this result confirmed the minority status of its position at the time, it nonetheless provided a clearly defined electoral base amid a highly polarized political environment.^[24]

After that, the party focused on consolidating this support, articulating a platform centered on law and order, opposition to the constitutional process, and socially conservative principles.^[24] This strategy proved electorally consequential during the 2021 general election, when Kast secured roughly 28% of the vote in the first round of the presidential election.^[24]

Observers noted that this outcome reflected the party’s ability to expand beyond its initial plebiscitary base, transforming an early minority position into a competitive electoral force within the Chilean right.^[41]

Constitutional referendums: 2022–2023

2023 saw the party win a landslide victory in the Constitutional Council election of May.^[42] In December, after the defeat in the constitutional referendum, 26 members including senator Rojo Edwards renounced the party.^[43]

In January 2024 Deputy Johannes Kaiser renounced after being sanctioned being removed from legislative committees for making explicit that he voted "Against" the Constitutional Proposal of 2023, supported by the party directive. He emphasizes that he wasn't going to participate in any campaign for his option for respect for the party, something which he accomplished. He founded the National Libertarian Party in July of the same year, having the signatures required in 2025 to officially create the new political party.^[44]

Rise within the Chilean right: 2024–2025

Following the defeat in the 2023 referendum, Republicans faced a more demanding scenario within the Chilean right, where it was reopened a political space for the traditional center-right (Chile Vamos). In this context, the party shifted from a phase of rapid ascent to a more conventional stage of electoral competition.^[45][46]

During the 2024 municipal and regional elections, Republicans competed directly for the same electorate as Chile Vamos, particularly in urban municipalities and middle-class sectors. The results were uneven, with localized advances but without systematically displacing traditional parties at the territorial level, highlighting the limits of the party’s expansion outside highly polarized political environments.^[47][48]

Within this framework, programmatic ambiguities and communication missteps by Evelyn Matthei's candidacy during the first half of 2025 contributed to strengthening the Republican's relative position among right-wing voters. Analysts noted that these hesitations facilitated Republican consolidation among voters seeking a clearer alternative in terms of leadership and political positioning. By June 2025, the party had established itself as a competitive actor within the sector, amid fragmentation and open competition on the Chilean right.^{[49][50][51][52]}

Presidential elections

Congress elections

Municipal elections

Regional elections