Chile’s Franco Parisi Says Kast Uses Power as if He Felt Guilty
CHILE · POLITICS
Key Facts
- —The country Chile, the world’s largest copper producer, has been governed since 11 March 2026 by right-wing President José Antonio Kast.
- —Who is speaking Franco Parisi, a populist economist, came third in the 2025 presidential first round with 19.7% of the vote.
- —Why it matters His Partido de la Gente (PDG) holds 14 of the 155 seats in Chile’s lower house, enough to tip close votes.
- —What happened In an Ex-Ante interview on Saturday 3 October, Parisi said Kast has ‘un ejercicio culposo del poder’, a guilt-laden use of power.
- —The grade Parisi rated the government below 3.0 on Chile’s 1-to-7 school scale, where 4.0 is a pass.
- —What it means for you PDG votes on the 2027 budget come with a price: cuts to public-sector pay before new spending.
- —Still open No public reply from Kast or his spokesman had been reported by Sunday, as Congress starts work on the budget.
Franco Parisi, the populist who finished third in Chile’s 2025 presidential election, says President José Antonio Kast has “un ejercicio culposo del poder”. He means a way of wielding power as if Kast felt guilty about using it.
Parisi made the remark in an interview with the Chilean news site Ex-Ante, published on Saturday 3 October. His Partido de la Gente controls enough seats to swing close votes, so his terms matter to the government.
What Franco Parisi Actually Said
“El Presidente Kast tiene un ejercicio culposo del poder,” Parisi told Ex-Ante. In Chilean law the word culposo describes negligence rather than intent, but Parisi used it in the everyday sense of guilt.
He explained the phrase by comparing Kast with his predecessor, Gabriel Boric, who he said “inhabited” power. “Power is not something you inhabit, but nor are you guilty for exercising it,” Parisi said.
The charge, in other words, is timidity and poor management, not wrongdoing. Parisi said the government makes grand announcements and then has to take them back, which he argued damages Chile’s credibility.
A Failing Grade for the Government
“It is below 3.0 and I don’t see it recovering,” Franco Parisi said of the government. Chilean schools grade from 1 to 7, and 4.0 is the minimum pass mark.
He called the way Kast deploys his ministers “quite precarious”. He also said that more than 40 regional officials had resigned.
His verdict matches a difficult run in the polls. One monthly survey put Kast’s approval at 25% in September, as reported in Kast Approval Falls to 25% in Chile’s September Survey.
Blame for the Foreign Policy Row
On foreign policy, Parisi aimed at the president rather than his foreign minister, Francisco Pérez Mackenna. “The one who is failing is not the foreign minister, but President Kast,” he told Ex-Ante.
He had made the same point on 28 September, after deputies questioned Pérez Mackenna over the US-led Shield of the Americas pact. “The great culprit of everything we are living through is President Kast,” Parisi said then, El Dínamo reported.
That session is covered in Chile Foreign Minister Survives Interpellation as Deputies Give Kast 30 Days on US Pact.
The Price of PDG Votes
Franco Parisi said his party is willing to work with the government in all areas, but set one condition. “The red line is that salaries are cut first,” he said, referring to public-sector pay.
He offered universal childcare as an example: his party wants it too, but paid for by scrapping the PMG. That is a performance bonus paid to civil servants.
Parisi also asked whether Kast will deliver promised savings of US$6 billion within 18 months. His party is already fighting to restore a school laptop grant, as reported in Chile School Laptop Grant Now Rests With Congress.
Fuel Prices as the ‘Original Sin’
Parisi called the fuel price crisis “an original sin of the Kast government” that voters will not forget. He criticised the government for keeping the specific tax on fuels, which drivers pay at the pump.
Fuel became a sore point early in Kast’s term, as covered in Chile Fuel Prices to Jump 54% as Kast Ends Subsidy. The government has since extended aid to taxi and school-transport drivers until December.
Who Is Franco Parisi
Parisi is an economist who founded the Partido de la Gente in 2019 with Gino Lorenzini. The party calls itself neither left nor right and campaigns against the political establishment.
In the November 2025 first round, Franco Parisi won 2,557,737 votes, or 19.71%, finishing third. His party won 14 seats in the Chamber of Deputies, eight more than in 2021.
What Comes Next
Congress has 60 days from 30 September to pass the 2027 budget, so the PDG’s terms will soon be tested. Its deputies can help or block the government on close votes.
The interview is not a refusal to cooperate with the government. Parisi left the door open to deals, but on terms that would make Kast’s spending plans harder to pass.
More: Latin America news in English, every day from The Rio Times.
What did Franco Parisi say about Kast?
He said Kast has ‘un ejercicio culposo del poder’, meaning he uses power as if he felt guilty about it. Franco Parisi contrasted this with Boric, who he said merely ‘inhabited’ power.
Did Parisi accuse Kast of a crime?
No. The word culposo can mean negligent in legal language, but Parisi used it to criticise Kast’s leadership style, not to allege wrongdoing.
Why do Franco Parisi’s views matter?
His Partido de la Gente has 14 deputies in a closely divided lower house. Their votes can decide close contests, including parts of the 2027 budget.
Sources: Ex-Ante, 3 October 2026; T13, 3 October 2026; El Dínamo, 28 September 2026; Wikipedia, Party of the People (Chile), accessed 4 October 2026.
This article was produced by The Rio Times’ automated newsroom system. How we use AI · Report an error · Editorial responsibility: Matthias Camenzind, Editor-in-Chief