Official Records: José Antonio Kast Missed 146 Floor Sessions as Deputy; Cost Estimated at Over 35 Million Chilean Pesos

Chile's Chamber of Deputies publishes detailed attendance by lawmaker as a core accountability metric. With José Antonio Kast logging 146 absences between 2006 and 2018, the figure prompts a public question about whether legislative work standards align with the taxpayer funds that support parliamentary representation.

The Citizen

14/10/2025 5:28pm

A review of public records from Chile’s Chamber of Deputies shows that between 2006 and 2018, while serving as a deputy, José Antonio Kast accumulated 146 absences from floor sessions. Using an estimated daily salary of 244,966 pesos and a gross monthly salary of 7,348,983 pesos, the cost associated with those absences is calculated at 35,765,036 pesos.

The Chamber publishes attendance by lawmaker and the total number of absences per period, as these metrics are basic indicators of performance and accountability in Congress.

When the tally of absences reaches 146 sessions, it raises a matter of public interest: are legislative work standards aligned with the public resources that fund parliamentary representation?

This figure does not address specific reasons for missing sessions; it highlights the cumulative public resources involved and their impact. To make the amount more relatable, it is compared with familiar expenses and salaries in Chile. The more than 35 million pesos linked to Kast’s absences are equivalent to:

-72 monthly minimum wages (using 500,000 pesos as a reference).
-More than 1,000 one-month school subsidies (based on the current USE of 34,873 pesos).
-30 monthly salaries for primary health professionals at CESFAM centers (reference 1,200,000 pesos).
-One month of pay for 29 public school teachers (reference 1,250,000 pesos per teacher).
-120 basic family food baskets (reference: 300,000 pesos per month for a family of four).
-3 DS49 housing subsidies (12,406,479 pesos each; approximate conversion as of October 2025).
-100 household electricity and water bills for one year (average 30,000 pesos per month per household).

How was it calculated? The total in pesos results from multiplying the number of missed floor sessions by the estimated daily salary reported for deputies.

The social equivalences are built with current reference prices and values in Chile — minimum wage, USE, average CESFAM and teacher pay, the basic household basket, the DS49 housing subsidy, and utility costs — to illustrate in everyday terms the effect of 35,765,036 pesos.

El Ciudadano