Following José Antonio Kast's invitation to party leaders for his January 5, 2026, proclamation as president-elect, the Communist Party (PC) and Broad Front (FA) notably absent themselves from the Tricel ceremony, prompting criticism. Opposition figures also raised alarms over potential foreign minister Francisco Pérez Mackenna's lack of diplomatic experience amid the Venezuelan crisis triggered by Nicolás Maduro's U.S. capture.
Chile's Electoral Qualification Tribunal (Tricel) proclaimed José Antonio Kast president-elect on January 5, 2026, after he had invited leaders from all parliamentary parties—including left-wing figures like PC's Lautaro Carmona and FA's Constanza Martínez—to signal unity. However, PC and FA boycotted the event, sparking backlash from the PPD. Deputy Raúl Soto (PPD-IND) called it a missed 'republican milestone' requiring opposition respect, while FA's Martínez cited a scheduling conflict and PC's Carmona objected to Kast's praise of Maduro's U.S. capture as 'great news,' viewing it as endorsing interventionism.
Building on regional tensions from Maduro's detention, the left intensified scrutiny of Kast's foreign policy team. Soto demanded a foreign minister with 'diplomatic experience,' questioning business leader Pérez Mackenna's suitability. PS deputy Nelson Venegas decried 'technocratic business logics,' and senator José Miguel Insulza favored experienced hands like former minister Alfredo Moreno, who understands Venezuela. PPD's Ricardo Lagos Weber accused Kast of abandoning Chile's non-intervention tradition, warning of precedents.
Kast sidestepped clashes with outgoing President Gabriel Boric, emphasizing humanitarian migrant solutions. These rifts signal hurdles for the incoming administration in a turbulent Latin American landscape.
