President José Antonio Kast will not hold an official government ceremony to mark the 53rd anniversary of Chile's 1973 military coup on September 11, opting instead to travel to the southern Los Ríos Region for official business.
The decision marks a clear departure from the administration of former President Gabriel Boric, who made commemorating the 1973 overthrow of Socialist President Salvador Allende a central focus during his four years in office.
Government officials at La Moneda Palace in Santiago confirmed that Kast will carry out working activities focused on employment, investment, and innovation during his trip. The visit to Los Ríos will also allow the president to complete his official tour across all 16 administrative regions of Chile.
Kast indicated that the traditional morning Mass at the presidential palace could include an intention related to the date if someone requests it. He added that officials were praying for the Chile of today and the future.
Claudio Alvarado, who serves as co-minister of the Interior and the General Secretariat of Government, noted that September 11 generates differing sensitivities among Chileans. Alvarado called for respect during the public demonstrations expected across the country.
Opposition backlash over human rights policies
Opposition politicians strongly criticized Kast's absence from official commemorative events, urging the executive branch to maintain state policies on truth, justice, human rights, and non-repetition guarantees developed over recent decades.
Bárbara Figueroa, general secretary of the Communist Party of Chile, said that a new September 11 anniversary should reinforce human rights initiatives. She specifically highlighted programs expanded under Boric, including the National Search Plan to locate victims of forced disappearance during the dictatorship and the recovery of historical memory sites.
Figueroa stated that during the anniversary, the country should sustain, vindicate, and strengthen policies established after decades of persistent demands by human rights organizations and families of victims seeking truth, justice, an end to impunity, and a guarantee of never again.
Arturo Barrios, acting general secretary of the Socialist Party, announced that his party's activities would mark the breakdown of democracy, the military bombing of La Moneda, and the overthrow of Allende. Barrios asserted that former dictator Augusto Pinochet would be remembered as a criminal, a murderer, a thief, and a coward.
Claudio Orrego, the independent governor of Santiago, also questioned the lack of an official ceremony. Orrego stated that any democratic leader should at least create a formal space for reflection on the anniversary.
Tributes and international events for Salvador Allende
Progressive political organizations have organized two main events in Santiago to honor Allende. The first tribute is scheduled for 9:00 a.m. at the former president's mausoleum inside the General Cemetery.
Participants will then march along Morandé Street, passing the historic door of La Moneda Palace historically used by Chilean presidents, before placing a floral offering at Allende's statue in Constitution Square.
The Salvador Allende Foundation highlighted that commemorations will also take place internationally in Spain, Germany, Belgium, and France. In Italy, Catalan singer-songwriter Joan Manuel Serrat will receive special recognition from the foundation during the Trieste Ibero-Latin American Film Festival.
Isabel Allende Bussi, a former senator and daughter of the late president, praised Serrat's close relationship with her family. She stated that if anyone had distinguished themselves in the fight for human rights and dignity, it was Serrat.
Kast's political history and stance on Pinochet
Kast's position on the coup aligns with his political history. At age 22, Kast campaigned and voted for the Yes option in Chile's 1988 plebiscite, supporting the continuation of Pinochet's military regime in power.
His past statements regarding the date have repeatedly resurfaced during election cycles. In 2018 and again in 2022, Kast wrote that Chile chose freedom on September 11, 1973, arguing that modern Chile resulted from those who rose up against a Marxist revolution.
For the 50th anniversary of the coup in 2023, Kast issued a shorter statement, saying Chileans did not want to remain divided by the past but aspired to build the future together.
Kast's approach contrasts with that of former conservative President Sebastián Piñera. During his presidential terms, Piñera acknowledged civilian responsibility for human rights abuses, spoke of passive accomplices, and stated that the democratic breakdown should be remembered as a lesson and a collective failure of society.
