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Cuban-American Congress members María Elvira Salazar and Carlos Giménez celebrated this Sunday the victory of conservative leader José Antonio Kast in the presidential elections in Chile, where the Republican Party candidate won with 59.16% of the votes against the communist Jeannette Jara, according to data from the Chilean Electoral Service (SERVEL).
In a message posted on the social media platform X, Salazar congratulated the elected president and emphasized the citizen mandate expressed at the polls.
"Congratulations to José Antonio Kast on his victory. The people of Chile spoke clearly. Now begins the work of restoring order, security, and opportunities throughout the country," wrote the Republican congresswoman from Florida.
On his part, Congressman Carlos Giménez also expressed his support for the elected president from the United States Congress on X.
"From the United States Congress, we congratulate the newly elected president of the sister Republic of Chile on his decisive victory. We look forward to working closely to shake our hemisphere free from communism and violence," he wrote.
Kast's victory, founder of the Republican Party of Chile, marks a shift to the right in the country following the term of the leftist Gabriel Boric.
His program focuses on tough-on-crime policies, immigration control, and cuts to public spending, with a promise to “restore order” on the streets.
The Chilean election has resonated in Washington and among the Cuban-American community in South Florida, where Republican figures such as Salazar and Giménez see Kast as an ideological ally in the defense of democratic values, free markets, and the fight against socialist-leaning governments in Latin America.
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