Latin America’s Right-Wing Wave

In December, far-right candidate José Antonio Kast won Chile’s presidential runoff with over 58% of the vote, and he will become president next March. Kast’s victory is the latest iteration of a right-wing political revolution that has been sweeping across Latin America over the past year. A look at elections across the region reveals two main explanations for the resurgence of the right: hard-line security policies aimed at reducing crime, and free-market economic reforms intended to address stagnation and malaise.

Across Latin America, organized crime has surged, and voters have grown increasingly concerned about security. In Chile, for example, homicides reached a record high of 1,322 in 2022, and fewer than 40% of Chileans say they feel safe walking at night. Politicians on the right have capitalized on these fears to win power. El Salvador is perhaps the clearest example. Its president, Nayib Bukele, has gained widespread popularity at home and across the region for his mano dura policies, which have reduced homicides by more than 90%. A recent poll of Latin Americans named Mr. Bukele the region’s most popular politician, with an approval rating of 7.7 out of 10.

A similar pattern has emerged elsewhere. In Ecuador, conservative president Daniel Noboa was re-elected in 2025 as voters endorsed his proposals to continue strict crackdowns on criminal gangs. In Peru, former Lima Mayor Rafael López Aliaga has emerged as a leading candidate in next year’s presidential election, running on a MAGA-aligned platform. He has advocated for the elimination of most government ministries, sending prisoners to El Salvador and increasing troop deployments on Peru’s borders. President Donald Trump may also have had an effect. His endorsement of conservative Nasry Asfura in Honduras’s recent presidential election has put Mr Asfura in a narrow lead pending recounts.

The second driver of the right’s resurgence is economic reform, as seen in Bolivia and Argentina. In Bolivia, voters ousted the far-left MAS party, which had ruled for 20 years, and elected centrist Rodrigo Paz. He promised a package of reforms to resolve fuel shortages, soaring inflation and entrenched corruption. Since taking office, Mr. Paz has embarked on measures including tax cuts, reduced government spending and the slashing of costly fuel subsidies.

Argentina’s story is similar, but more extreme. Javier Milei, a self-described “anarcho-capitalist”, was elected president in 2023. He has since pursued radical reforms, including cuts to bureaucracy, reductions in public spending and sweeping deregulation to boost growth. These measures have led to declines in poverty and inflation, as well as sustained economic expansion. Voters rewarded Mr. Milei again in October 2025, giving his party a larger share of congressional seats than the leftist opposition and fresh momentum for further reform next year.

Yet it remains to be seen whether Latin America’s right-wing wave will endure, or whether it will recede like an outgoing tide.

Extemp Question: Does the conservative wave signal the end of left-wing ideologies in Latin America?

Read more here:

• Oliver Stuenkel, Americas Quarterly 

• The Economist

• Samantha Pearson and Ryan Dubé, The Wall Street Journal