Chile’s Kast Says Security Reform Retreat Is No Defeat
POLITICS · CHILE
Key Facts
- —The country Chile, governed since 11 March 2026 by President José Antonio Kast, whose security bill lacks the votes it needs in the Senate.
- —What happened On Friday 2 October Kast said withdrawing his constitutional security reform would be “no political defeat”, La Tercera reported. On 1 October he said he would pull it for a consensus text.
- —Who is involved Senators Pedro Araya (independent, PPD bench), Arturo Squella (Republicans) and Andrés Longton (RN) are drafting an alternative without the new state of exception, El Mostrador reported on 1 October.
- —What it means for you The proposed security state of exception, criticised by Amnesty International Chile on 30 September, looks set to be dropped. Organised-crime and prison measures stay on the table.
- —Still open The government bill was still formally before the Senate on 1 October. No alternative text had been filed, and no date for a vote has been set.
The Kast security reform is heading for withdrawal, and Chile’s president insists that is not a loss. “It is not a political defeat, it is a defeat for Chile if we do not confront organised crime and drug trafficking with force,” José Antonio Kast said on Friday 2 October.
He spoke at the 13th annual commerce meeting, according to La Tercera. “I have no problem with us withdrawing the reform and letting others take the credit,” he added.
A Retreat Framed as a Deal
The shift was already visible on Thursday 1 October, when Kast spoke in the northern region of Antofagasta. “If it has to be withdrawn, I have no problem withdrawing it. But let us seek a consensus,” he said, as reported by La Tercera and El Mostrador.
The bill was sent to the Senate on 17 August, as Rio Times reported in Chile’s Kast Retreats on Security Reform After Cross-Party Revolt. It has been stuck since, as covered in Chile’s President Kast at Six Months: 34 Percent Approval and a Stalled Security Reform.
What the Senators Are Drafting
Three senators from across the aisle are working on a replacement for the Kast security reform, El Mostrador reported. They are Pedro Araya, an independent on the PPD bench who chairs the constitution committee, plus Arturo Squella (Republicans) and Andrés Longton (RN).
Their text drops the new constitutional state of exception for public security, the most disputed part. It keeps the focus on organised crime and on how prisons are run.
Not everyone is on board. Senator Paulina Vodanovic, president of the Socialist Party (PS), complained she was not invited to the talks, La Tercera reported.
Vodanovic noted she filed her own prison reform in 2024. Kast replied that her idea was already contained in his bill and urged her to join.
The Human Rights Case Against the Bill
Amnesty International Chile urged Kast on 30 September to actually withdraw the reform rather than merely offer to. It said the text could endanger democracy and fundamental rights.
Its report objected to new extraordinary presidential powers and a larger security role for the armed forces. Executive director Rodrigo Bustos Bottai said security and human rights “are not opposing concepts”.
For the government, the stabiliser is that a cross-party text has a better chance in a Senate where its own bill stalled. The risk is a president seen to drop a flagship promise six months into his term.
Not a UN Rebuke
Friday’s La Tercera headline also mentioned criticism linked to the United Nations. That criticism concerned Kast’s English at the UN General Assembly, not the security bill.
Mario Aguilar, head of the teachers’ union (Colegio de Profesores), had mocked his speech. Kast replied that his English “was not perfect” but his UN meetings were “impressive”. He also faulted the timing of a march against education cuts, before the detailed budget is due on Monday; see Kast Raises Chile’s 2027 Spending 1.5% in Budget.
What Is Not Yet Known
No alternative text had been formally filed as of Friday, and the government bill was still in process on 1 October. The withdrawal only happens once a viable replacement exists, according to El Mostrador.
It is also unclear whether any version of the state of exception survives the Kast security reform talks. Constitutional changes need a supermajority, so the opposition’s position on the final wording will decide its fate.
Sources: La Tercera, 2 Oct 2026; La Tercera, 1 Oct 2026; El Mostrador, 1 Oct 2026; Amnesty International Chile, 30 Sep 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