The Crossroads of the UDI: Will It Survive Under José A. Kast’s Leadership?

Original article: La encrucijada de la UDI

By Julián Alcayaga O., Lawyer and Economist

The Independent Democratic Union (UDI) was established in 1983 by Jaime Guzmán Errázuriz, Pablo Longueira, Javier Leturia, and other key figures, with Guzmán as its undisputed leader. It later absorbed other Pinochetist movements.

In 1987, all right-wing parties and movements merged, including the UDI, to form the National Renewal party. This unity was short-lived, as Jaime Guzmán was expelled in March 1988, leading to the resignation of UDI members from National Renewal. The UDI was legally re-established as a political party in April 1989, with Guzmán returning as its president.

During the 1989 parliamentary elections, the UDI garnered 9.82% of the votes, electing 14 out of 120 deputies and 2 out of 38 senators.

Its growing popular support enabled rapid expansion, achieving 12.11% in the 1993 elections and 14.45% in 1997. The party became the largest in Chile, capturing 25.19% of the votes in the 2001 elections, overtaking the Christian Democratic Party, which had been the largest since 1990.

In 1999, the UDI came within 30,000 votes of winning the presidency with Joaquín Lavín against Ricardo Lagos. Throughout a significant portion of this growth period, Pablo Longueira served as the party’s president.

It was during this peak that José Antonio Kast emerged, serving as a deputy from 2006 to 2018, winning three consecutive terms.

Kast made two bids for UDI leadership in 2008 and 2010, losing to Senator Juan Antonio Coloma. Later, while still a UDI deputy, he resigned from the party in May 2016 and ran for president in 2017 as an independent.

In April 2018, he founded «Acción Republicana,» which later became the Republican Party of Chile in January 2020, where he served as its first president. Kast’s strategy for growing the membership of the Republican Party primarily targeted UDI supporters rather than independents, resulting in a significant electoral decline for the UDI. The Republican Party nearly eclipsed the UDI in the recent parliamentary and presidential elections held on November 16, 2025.

Nonetheless, the UDI still maintains a noteworthy parliamentary presence with 18 deputies and 5 senators, while the Republican Party boasts 31 deputies and 5 senators. Furthermore, the UDI holds a number of mayorships, council seats, and regional council positions, indicating it still retains substantial grassroots support, albeit diminished mainly in favor of the Republican Party and possibly the National Libertarian Party led by Kayser. But will the UDI, founded by Jaime Guzmán, endure if José A. Kast becomes President?

This is the crucial dilemma facing the UDI, its members, and its voters.

Indeed, both the UDI and the Republican Party are right-wing, conservative, and largely Catholic, although they exhibit ideological differences, particularly regarding their key figures: Jaime Guzmán for the UDI and José A. Kast for the Republican Party, with Guzmán possessing significantly greater intellectual stature than Kast.

However, the political landscape has changed dramatically, often for the worse, resulting in Kast being the frontrunner for the next presidency, potentially leading to the UDI’s short- to medium-term disappearance and, to a lesser extent, that of National Renewal, which embodies a somewhat different culture than the UDI and the Republican Party.

In conclusion, the only way for UDI supporters and voters to attempt to preserve the party is by casting null votes, but for greater security, they might consider supporting Jeannette Jara in the upcoming December 14 election. Help yourself, and I will help you.

By Julián Alcayaga O., Lawyer and Economist.

Cover Photo: Guillermo Ramírez, current president of the UDI. Continue reading:

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