• Trend marks reversal from ‘pink tide’ of the 1990s and 2000s, when left-wing governments dominated
• Far-right leaders promise to revive distressed economies, strengthen security

ISTANBUL

Earlier this month, Chilean voters delivered a decisive victory to far-right candidate Jose Antonio Kast, marking the country’s most significant shift to the right since the end of Augusto Pinochet’s military dictatorship more than three decades ago.

In his first speech as president-elect, Kast outlined a hardline approach to law and order. “Chile will once again be free from crime, free from anguish, free from fear,” he told supporters, pledging tougher measures against criminals and the deportation of irregular migrants who break the law.

The result was the latest indication of a broader rightward shift in Latin American politics.

In 2025, presidential elections were held in four countries in Latin America, with all the winners emerging from conservative-leaning or right-wing political forces.

In Ecuador, right-wing President Daniel Noboa consolidated his hold on power, securing a second term in April.

In Bolivia, center-right Senator Rodrigo Paz Pereira won the presidential runoff in October, marking a shift away from the leftist Movimiento al Socialismo party, which had dominated the country’s politics for decades.

That same month, Argentina’s far-right President Javier Milei led his party to a landslide victory in midterm elections, securing 40.8% of the nationwide vote.

Honduras also held general elections on Nov. 30, which were closely contested and followed by weeks of delays amid technical failures, security concerns in the vote-reporting system and allegations of voter fraud.

Final results announced by the country’s election council showed conservative candidate Nasry Asfura winning the presidency with 40.3% of the vote, narrowly defeating center-right candidate Salvador Nasralla. Asfura, who was backed by the US, has said he is ready to govern following the tight outcome.

Why is right-wing politics gaining ground?

Analysts say the rise of right-wing and far-right politics marks a pendulum swing away from the “pink tide” of the 1990s and 2000s, when left-wing governments dominated much of Latin America.

"The trend appears to be shifting in the opposite direction, with a turn to the right and, in some cases, to the far right, as seen in Argentina and more recently in Chile," Consuelo Thiers, a lecturer in international relations at the University of Edinburgh, told Anadolu.

Experts point to widespread voter frustration over persistent crime, economic instability, unemployment, and corruption as key drivers of the shift.

"The far-right leaders have largely risen to power on similar platforms – particularly promises to revive economies in severe distress, as in Argentina, and to strengthen security in a region where organized crime is rapidly expanding,” Thiers said.

She added that the message resonates strongly with voters facing rising living costs and worsening insecurity.

“More broadly, this dynamic also reflects a global pattern in which incumbents are finding it increasingly difficult to secure re-election, as frustrated voters turn to opposition figures who offer what appears to be a radically different alternative,” she said.

Relations of right-wing leaders with Trump

Several of Latin America’s newly elected right-wing leaders enjoy strong backing from the US and President Donald Trump, who publicly urged voters in countries such as Argentina and Honduras to support his preferred candidates.

William A. Booth, a lecturer in Latin American history at University College London’s Institute of the Americas, described Trump as a key factor in legitimizing far-right figures.

"Trump has been a huge factor in legitimating figures like Milei, Kast and Bolsonaro, who in other circumstances might be dismissed as absurd conspiratorial fanatics," he said.

Thiers, however, noted that many Latin American governments are seeking to balance relations between Washington and Beijing.

“South American foreign policies have long been shaped by how close or distant countries wish to be from the United States,” she said. “Lately, several governments have adopted hedging strategies, aiming to balance relations with both the US and China.”

China has become a major trade partner for countries such as Chile and Peru, a development Thiers said has allowed governments to diversify economic ties and reduce dependence on the US.

Chile’s relationship with Washington, she added, has remained broadly cooperative since the country’s return to democracy in 1990, regardless of which political force is in power.

"Chile has been a reliable trading and political partner for the United States, a fact also reflected in its status as the only Latin American country included in the Visa Waiver Program for entry into the US," Thiers said.

What lies ahead in 2026?

Several Latin American countries, including Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Haiti and Peru, are set to hold presidential elections in 2026, with analysts predicting continued polarization.

“Latin America is cut right down the middle at the moment,” Booth said. “An unbroken line of right-wing governments runs from Ecuador to Argentina, with Colombia, Venezuela, Brazil and Uruguay on the other side of the divide.”

While Booth believes Brazil’s left-wing President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva remains well-positioned, he warned of potential US interference.

“Trump will no doubt attempt to intervene against Lula, but his last interference backfired fairly spectacularly,” he said.

In Colombia, Booth said conservative forces face challenges due to lingering public backlash against the polarizing legacy of former president Alvaro Uribe.

Costa Rica’s presidential race, he added, remains competitive but institutionally constrained, leaving limited space for far-right candidates.

Peru’s left, by contrast, has been weakened by years of political turmoil, allowing multiple right-wing contenders to dominate the field.

"It’s very hard to know what will happen in Haiti,” Booth said. “Because, yet again, the international community intervened to impose a government recently, fitting with a general pattern of ruinous interference that has been going on for decades.”