Milei Misses Photo Opportunity with Kast as Bilateral Meeting Is Canceled Before Transfer of Power

Original article: Milei se queda sin foto con Kast: suspenden bilateral en la antesala del cambio de mando

Just hours before the transfer of power ceremony in Chile, Argentine President Javier Milei faced a setback as he lost the opportunity for a photo with José Antonio Kast to share on social media, following an announcement from the elected president’s team regarding the cancellation of their scheduled bilateral meeting.

The bilateral meeting, which had been meticulously scheduled in the public agenda as a precursor to the power transfer, was expected to be a platform showcasing political alignment between the two representatives of the Latin American far-right.

The meeting was slated for 9:10 AM at the Presidential Palace of Cerro Castillo in Viña del Mar and was intended as a formal greeting and a gesture of camaraderie before heading together to the National Congress in Valparaíso.

However, plans unraveled when the future president’s circle announced that the appointment was postponed «due to scheduling issues.»

This decision, according to El Mostrador, stemmed from a delay in the Argentine president’s travel, as his flight from Buenos Aires to Santiago departed later than scheduled, disrupting the morning timetable and making the visit to Cerro Castillo unfeasible.

As a result, Milei is expected to arrive directly at the National Congress in Valparaíso to participate in the transfer of power ceremony, missing out on the private face-to-face meeting he had anticipated with Kast.

The relationship between Kast and Milei has strengthened in recent months, evolving into a strategic alliance that both have nurtured as part of an ultra-liberal and anti-state agenda in Latin America.

The first significant milestone of this political alignment between these two far-right representatives dates back to last December when the elected president traveled to Buenos Aires to meet with his Argentine counterpart.

During their more than hour-long meeting, marked by excitement and celebration, the «libertarian» openly stated that the republican «will copy» the controversial neoliberal model applied in the southern nation, which has led to a severe social and economic crisis.

After the meeting, it was indicated that the primary topics of conversation revolved around the intent to develop, starting in March 2026 when Kast would assume the presidency, a common roadmap «regarding regional and border security, fighting transnational organized crime,» among other issues.

On that occasion, both posed with a chainsaw, a symbol of the contentious reforms and cuts promoted by Milei’s government in Argentina.