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Original article: “El pueblo que votó por Kast se dio cuenta”: Jadue golpea los 100 días de un gobierno “de los ricos, para los ricos y por los ricos”

Former Recoleta mayor, Daniel Jadue, strongly criticized the first 100 days of José Kast’s administration, claiming that the voters who supported him «immediately realized this is a government for the rich, by the rich, and of the rich.»

In a conversation with the program «Sentido Común,» hosted by Javier Pineda Olcay, the architect and sociologist stated that Kast’s far-right government, which took office on March 11, 2026, after a campaign focused on promises about security and the economy, has caused «absolute disappointment» among his supporters, leading to a drop in his approval ratings.

Jadue accused Kast of failing to deliver on his commitments, highlighting that even members of his cabinet have admitted that goals like achieving a fiscal balance and a 4% economic growth target will not be met. He emphasized that Kast’s administration has shown a lack of planning, particularly in security matters, calling the fall of then-Interior Minister Trinidad Steinert in May a «failure.»

Jadue further warned about the potential impacts on fiscal deficits and social rights arising from the current government’s major economic and tax reform.

Next, we present an excerpt from Jadue’s discussion on «Sentido Común»:

– What is your perspective on these 100 days of Kast? Has he met the expectations set by the right, or do you think this government has simply been a disaster?

– I believe that the best word to describe it, trying to empathize with those who trusted him, is disappointment—an absolute disappointment, but also a demonstration of a profound ideological bankruptcy. Why? Let’s begin with the issues people most expected, particularly in security, which is his main focus. They entered into power, possessing all the necessary tools—tools left behind by the previous government, as even the current head of security acknowledges—and crime continues. They operate under a theoretical framework that we on the left do not share; they view crime as stemming from the supposed evil of individuals alien to social co-responsibility, while we believe that crime and insecurity arise from people’s material conditions and the precariousness generated by this society.

When you look at women’s prisons, for example, a significant percentage of women are incarcerated for micro-trafficking because they lack the means to support their families. They are pushed into this situation because micro-trafficking pays better than legal employers, and the minimum wage in this country doesn’t lift people out of poverty.

This is the primary issue with security, and their major failure—having to change the security minister before three months indicates they had no plan, were unprepared, and misled Chileans, projecting an image that they cannot maintain.

– Regarding the economic issue, we saw during the campaign that a primary goal was to reduce the deficit by 6 billion dollars in 18 months, with a promise not to cut social protections. However, the major tax reform has resulted in benefits for large corporations without corresponding social protection measures. How do you see this economic dimension?

– I believe that the people who voted for Kast have already realized that this is a government of the rich, by the rich, and for the rich. Therefore, we must strip the discussion of empty rhetoric that looks good but is devoid of substance. When Kast speaks, he uses terms that sound appealing, but he will not fulfill them. In fact, they have acknowledged that none of the measures they are taking will lead to increased investment or employment; it is merely a gamble.

On the contrary, what they have done is destroy jobs, eliminate citizen security, cut funding for law enforcement, and diminish the state’s capacity—not just to enforce—but also to provide social rights, which completely contradicts their claims.

When some make memes and jokes about the president’s growing nose, regardless of personal opinions, what Chileans feel is that the president has lied to them and that his government has misled them with a different agenda.

And what is that agenda? To protect and maintain the declining profit margins of large capital, which must somehow restore itself by eliminating social rights so that those rights become private business modules, forcing people to pay for them. As financial resources dwindle, citizens are compelled to borrow from their financial connections merely to eat and afford the basics.

Ultimately, this has resulted in a significant drop in positive evaluations of him, with nearly half of those who voted for him now disapproving of the government.

– How do you see the behavior of the right, knowing that in any political block there are tensions, particularly among a sector that is more hardline, like the Republican Party, supported by the Libertarian National Party, which states that they will proceed with this ideological agenda? Do you see a difference with the National Renewal sector or the UDI, or do you think they will simply align and support this government for four years?

– No, there is no difference. One must differentiate what is ethics from what is aesthetics. There are many who are seduced by aesthetics and care about appearances. There is a right that wishes to present itself as more prudent, more democratic, and more committed to human rights and social rights. However, when it comes to critical moments, they will align with the ethics and aesthetics of the strongest, the hardest factions—those who have sidelined international law and the rule of law. The social contract that capital defined as useful for accumulation in the last century no longer serves them. Today, the current democracy is declared incompatible with capital’s need to continue accumulating.

Kast recently met with Peter Thiel, engaging with ideologists of technofascism and neo-reactionaries who believe that democracy has a clear tendency toward redistribution and is, therefore, incompatible with the freedom of capital.

– We are discussing the political right, but regarding the business right, do you think they will also benefit from this situation? Or might some fear that a potential future government will hold them accountable due to the advancing neoliberal agenda they are developing?

– I don’t subscribe to this distinction that some try to make between economic right and political right. The political right is merely an instrument of the economic right; there is no difference. Besides, the big businessmen, not the small businesses or the micro-enterprises struggling under this government’s measures—which are significantly weakening domestic demand—are only concerned with short-term profitability.

We have seen how business leaders have changed their rhetoric, deceiving all Chileans. Five or ten years ago, they claimed that reforms should not exploit temporary majorities and should be long-term agreements because they sought legal stability. Today, they support a reform that lacks legal stability and will not provide them with stability, because any incoming government will need to resolve the fiscal deficit this administration will leave behind while also reconstructing the social rights that it is currently undermining through tax reform. Thanks to complicity among large business leaders, who are reluctant to show their face now because they know they are endorsing a reform backed by a temporary majority without theoretical foundation or empirical backing, they are complicit in these actions.

Therefore, I don’t see a difference between the economic right and the political right.

To watch the rest of Daniel Jadue’s interview on «Sentido Común» and learn more about his perspectives and criticisms regarding Kast’s first 100 days in office, you can access the following video:

La entrada Jadue Critiques Kast’s First 100 Days: «The People Who Voted for Him Realized This is a Government for the Rich» se publicó primero en El Ciudadano.