Kast’s Shift from Promising a 50% Salary Cut in 2021 to Accepting Over 11 Million: A Controversial Turn

Original article: El viral de Kast 2021 vs. 2025: del «reduciré sueldos a la mitad» a recibir más de 11 millones y declararlo «no debatido»

Kast’s Shift on Presidential Salary: From Promising to Cut it by Half in 2021 to Claiming it’s «Not Debated» at Over 11 Million Starting March 2026

A stark discrepancy between his 2021 campaign promises and his current stance has placed elected president José Antonio Kast at the center of controversy regarding his upcoming presidential salary, which will exceed 11 million pesos gross monthly starting in March 2026.

This contradiction stems from the decision made by the Commission for Setting Remunerations (CFR), which designated the new presidential salary at 11,070,064 pesos gross, a significant increase compared to the average salary of outgoing president Gabriel Boric. When questioned about this raise and his previous commitments to austerity, Kast distanced himself from any specific promises, attributing the decision to legal frameworks.

In an interview with Canal 13, when asked directly about the salary, the elected president stated: «We never stated what some have claimed. We have not debated the salary amount». He further added: «That was decided by Congress; it’s a legal norm», as reported by Tele13.

This position is in stark contrast to his public statements during his campaign in 2021. After being proclaimed a candidate at Cerro Ñielol in Temuco, Kast pledged to cut his salary by half as a gesture of austerity. The Presidential Elections Chile portal recalled that “during his previous campaign, he stated he would reduce it by half as a sign of austerity».

In August 2021, Kast was emphatic on his social media, proposing «to govern by example» and claiming that he would decrease the allowances of authorities. On August 22, 2021, in La Araucanía, he explicitly stated: «If I am elected president, I will halve my salary and reduce the salaries of all authorities. We all have to recover Chile», as noted by Diario USACH.

The media outlet Turno indicated that this «posture directly clashes with his 2021 campaign promises» and displays a pattern of «verbal turns» that are often justified by laws or Congress.

This inconsistency has also been analyzed and criticized on the program ContraPauta from El Ciudadano, hosted by Axel Indey, who reviewed the situation.

Internationally, the situation has also gained attention. Latina Noticias aired a viral video noting that «Elected president José Antonio Kast has been questioned for a change in his rhetoric regarding the reduction of his salary as president».

The (in)evolution of his stance, from a specific promise to cut his salary in half to accepting a salary greater than 11 million while declaring it an «undebated matter» subject to legal norms illustrates a recurring debate about the coherence between campaign austerity promises and decisions made once in office.