The first week of the Kast administration has not gone unnoticed. The new ultra-conservative president has shaken public opinion with various proposals, changes, and construction projects that many thought would take longer to materialize.
The so-called “Emergency Government” (a slogan used by José Antonio Kast during his election campaign) kicked off its administration with the controversial construction of a trench and walls along the northern border. “Today we begin to manage irregular migration,” Kast stated.
A wall to curb migration
The so-called “Border Shield Plan” calls for the excavation of thousands of kilometers and the construction of walls in the Arica region, on the border with Peru. According to projections, the project will also be implemented in the Antofagasta and Tarapacá regions, on the border with Bolivia.
According to the new government, the “Border Shield” is an “impenetrable physical and technological containment system, combining 5-meter-high security walls/fences, equipped with motion sensors and drone surveillance, in the areas surrounding official border crossings or deactivated clandestine crossings”.
The entire border area spans more than 800 kilometers, although it is not known for certain how long Kast intends the wall to be. The project will pose a massive economic and planning challenge for the newly-elected government, which has promised to reduce government spending.
Peru expresses concern
For his part, Peruvian President José María Balcázar has stated that, while he respects the decisions of his Chilean counterpart, the project could pose certain risks for Peru: “It is a presidential decision that we respect. We are democrats, but we must caution against returning to the days when the Berlin Wall was built—a project that ultimately ended in failure.”
He added: “I’m no futurist at the moment, but I can say that we respect whatever the Chilean president may say or do, provided he respects us and our sovereignty.”
Other neoliberal measures by Kast
In addition to the construction of the controversial wall, Kast has initiated talks with the United States regarding the exploitation of critical minerals and rare earths that the South American country possesses, which US companies covet. Chile is the world’s leading copper producer and holds one-third of the world’s lithium reserves.
Read more: Far-right José Antonio Kast sworn in as president of Chile
Meanwhile, in line with his campaign platform, Kast has ordered a tax cut and a 3% reduction in public spending across all ministries. He has also requested a comprehensive audit of the ministries to uncover potential irregularities committed by the previous administration, which some critics believe could mark the beginning of a process of lawfare similar to that initiated by other right-wing governments in the region as soon as they take office.
“We are working to ensure that Chile returns to growth in an orderly and peaceful manner,” Kast told the press. However, for now, it remains to be seen how far the Chilean right is willing to go in pursuing its long-cherished projects. Some ruling party lawmakers have spoken of reducing state investment in education and health care, which could reignite a student movement that has already shaken past governments and came close to overturning the Pinochet-era, neoliberal constitution that Chile’s economic elites hold in such high regard.
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