How Chile confirms the global phenomenon of the rise of right in 2025

The year 2025 is about to end. It witnessed right-wing movements increasing their influence across the globe like never before. How did it happen? What are the key reasons behind the rapid ascendancy of the right wing? What is the prognosis for 2026?

Donald Trump took over as President of the United States of America on January 20, 2025. Soon thereafter, Trump, Vice President JD Vance, Elon Musk and other MAGA voices surprised Europe’s leaders by engaging with Germany’s AfD and other right-wing parties early in the Trump administration.

Eleven months later, those right-wing parties are outperforming their establishment rivals in poll after poll. For the first time in modern history, right-wing parties are leading opinion polls in Europe’s four largest economies. Here is what was the case in August 2025; since then, the popularity of right-wing parties has further increased.

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Germany

As reported by Politico on August 12, the AfD — noted for its controversial past and monitored by German intelligence for suspected extremism — had emerged as the most popular party in the country.

A poll carried out by the Forsa Institute for Social Research and Statistical Analysis showed that if elections were held then, 26 per cent of Germans would vote for the AfD. That result placed the party ahead of Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s mainstream conservative bloc, which fell to second place with 24 per cent support.

A more recent November study shows that anti-immigrant sentiment and political dissatisfaction have influenced perceptions of the AfD, despite repeated warnings from security authorities.

“We have 30% now — more than in previous years — that say the AfD is a party like any other party … A third is a lot of people.”

The increase in AfD popularity comes even after Germany’s domestic intelligence service officially classified the AfD as a “proven extremist group”, citing activities seen as threatening the democratic constitutional order.

For the uninitiated, the AfD defines German identity in ethnic terms and advocates for “remigration” — a term referring to the return of immigrants, including naturalised citizens deemed insufficiently assimilated.

United Kingdom

In the UK, Nigel Farage’s Reform Party has a double-digit lead over both the ruling Labour Party and the Conservatives, which have dominated British politics for a century.

The most recent December YouGov voting intention poll for The Times and Sky News shows Reform UK at 27 per cent of the vote, an eight-point lead over any other party. Labour is on 19 per cent, while the Conservatives record a vote share of 18 per cent. The Greens’ latest figure is 15 per cent, and the Liberal Democrats remain on 14 per cent.

The BBC reported on December 12, 2025, quoting The Times, that Reform UK is now the largest political party in Britain. Internal figures indicate Labour’s membership has fallen below 250,000, while Reform UK’s has increased to 268,000 paid members, meaning Reform has overtaken Labour to become the largest party by membership in the UK.

France

In France, the right-wing National Rally is comfortably polling first, even with its leader Marine Le Pen banned from running for president in 2027 for embezzling EU funds.

Politico Europe explains:

“A country with a history of Nazi collaboration wasn’t going to accept candidates working with Jean-Marie Le Pen, the National Front founder infamous for downplaying the Holocaust.

But the elder Le Pen is dead. His daughter and political heir rebranded the party as the National Rally and has, in little more than a decade, brought it from the fringes of French politics to the top of most opinion polls.”

Opinion polls have not only placed the National Rally at the top, but the party now has more seats in the National Assembly — France’s more powerful lower house of parliament — than any other single political party. Its popularity continues to grow.

Italy

In Italy, Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni — leader of the country’s first right-wing government since the Second World War — has remained extremely popular three years after taking office, though she has governed more pragmatically than many expected.

Writing on the Wall

It is interesting to note that in none of the above countries are elections imminent. As elections draw closer, the trend is clear: right-wing parties will be a major force.

Global Phenomenon

Across the globe, right-wing movements have been on the rise for some time. They first gained prominence in Giorgia Meloni’s Italy and Viktor Orbán’s Hungary, while formerly marginal ethno-nationalist parties such as the Sweden Democrats (informally) and the True Finns (formally) are now in governing coalitions. The Netherlands, Romania and Slovakia have also leaned right, and the trend is expanding.

Right-wing politics also made a direct impact in South America in 2018 when Brazil elected Jair Bolsonaro as president. Five years later, Javier Milei emerged in Argentina, becoming a prominent figure in the 2023 presidential elections and ultimately winning the presidency. His rhetoric and public style have drawn international attention.

Other South American countries embracing right-wing parties include El Salvador and Ecuador. In the most recent election, Bolivia elected centre-right senator Rodrigo Paz as its next president, ending nearly 20 years of continuous rule by the Movement for Socialism (MAS) party. Paz defeated right-wing candidate Jorge “Tuto” Quiroga with 54.6 per cent of the vote.

The rise of right-wing parties is not only a story of Europe and the US. Gradually, more countries globally are seeing this political approach gain ground.

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Javier Milei governs Argentina with a distinctive public persona. Another right-wing leader generating global attention is José Antonio Kast, founder of Chile’s Republican Party (2019), who will formally take office as President of Chile on March 11, 2026. Also, on December 25, in the most recent presidential election in the Central American country of Honduras, reflecting Latin America's ongoing shift to the right, Trump-backed far-right candidate Nasry Asfura of the National Conservative Party emerged victorious.

Understanding Kast

In the elections held on December 14, Chileans elected José Antonio Kast as president. He is the most right-wing presidential candidate elected since the end of Augusto Pinochet’s dictatorship over three and a half decades ago.

Kast was born in 1966 in Santiago to German immigrant parents. His father had been a member of the Nazi Party in Bavaria before emigrating to Chile after the Second World War. His elder brother, Miguel Kast (1948–1983), served as an economist and minister during the Pinochet regime.

Kast has publicly referenced aspects of Pinochet’s military government. The election of Kast reflects broader societal priorities in Chile, particularly amid a weak economy, a divided society, and concerns over public security.

Root Cause Analysis

The Chilean election aligns with a broader right-wing shift across the region — most recently seen in Bolivia — reversing the “pink tide” of left-leaning governments over the past two decades.

Several factors explain the ascendancy of right-wing politics:

Migration: Millions of migrants from the Middle East and North Africa arrived in Europe and the Americas following the 2015 refugee crisis. Debates over national sovereignty, identity and security have intensified.

Economic concerns: Persistently high prices, slowing growth, and post-pandemic inequalities have shaped voter sentiment. The war in Ukraine and trade policies, such as tariffs under President Trump, have also contributed to global economic uncertainty.

Trust in institutions: Scandals and perceptions of an out-of-touch elite have affected confidence in mainstream parties and regional institutions, even as right-wing parties face scrutiny.

Restless Gen Z: A dynamic and globally connected younger generation is influencing political trends more than ever.

The rise of right-wing politics in 2025 was not accidental. It reflects trends over the past decade, shaped by social, economic, and geopolitical factors. The time to understand and work on the issues related to this phenomenon starts now.

(The author is a multi-disciplinary thought leader with Action Bias and an India-based impact consultant. He is President of Advisory Services at BARSYL. Views expressed are personal and do not necessarily reflect Firstpost’s position.)