Colombian president strongly condemns Kast’s election in Chile: “I will never shake hands with a Nazi”

Colombian President Gustavo Petro has expressed his outrage at the results of the elections held in Chile this Sunday, in which the ultra-right candidate, José Antonio Kast, was elected the next president.

“Fascism is advancing. I will never shake hands with a Nazi, nor with the son of a Nazi; they are death incarnate. It’s sad that Pinochet had to impose himself by force, but it’s even sadder now that people are choosing their own Pinochet: elected or not, they are children of Hitler, and Hitler kills people.”

In another post, the Colombian leader indicated that the defeat in the South American country is “like if [María Fernanda] Cabal or [Marco] Rubio” were to win in Colombia, referring to the right-wing Uribista pre-candidate and the reactionary U.S. Secretary of State.

In his latest posts, the Colombian president said: “Fascism in Chile will not last 40 years. Times have changed. I know what’s happening; I will not return to La Moneda as before. They killed the president again.” He has also made several appeals to Chilean youth. “I tell you, embrace life and never align yourselves with death.”

The Colombian president sees Washington’s hand at work in this shift toward right-wing governments. “Rubio is widening the net of hatred, sowing indigenous divisions in Bolivia; they already have their president, [Luis] Arce, an intelligent man, in prison; they already have [Pedro] Castillo imprisoned in Peru — the old, white oligarchy couldn’t bear the thought of Peru being led by a rural schoolteacher.”

And he has issued a warning: “They surrounded us with imprisoned presidents because they want to corner us. Corner the idea of ​​a libertarian Gran Colombia and the Caribbean. They want to leave us alone, like in One Hundred Years of Solitude,” a reference to Gabriel García Márquez’s novel.

Jose Antonio Kast, who has openly declared his support for the fascist dictator of the 1970s and 80s, Augusto Pinochet, won with 58% of the vote against Jeannette Jara, who represented a left-wing coalition and garnered 42%. Kast will assume power on March 11th for a four-year term.