Abstract

The most dominant political parties of the Chilean Right (Unión Demócrata Independiente and Renovación Nacional) were originated during the military regime of Pinochet. Until today, their identities have been strongly influenced by ideas strengthened during the dictatorship: economic liberalism, catholic conservatism, and technocratization of decision-making. Nonetheless, as of the 2000s, several social and political events have challenged this identity. Those events brought with it the erosion of authoritarian sentiments within the Right during the 2000s, the programmatic moderation of Piñera’s administrations, and the creation of a morally liberal right- wing political party in 2012 (Evópoli). Furthermore, these events brought about the rise of a new right-wing intelligentsia that has called into question the ideas defended by the Right since 1990. This chapter examines the history of the Chilean Right (1990-2020), as well as the present-day challenges that this sector is confronting when reshaping its identity. The central argument is that in this process of reconfiguration, there is not much room for a radical Right such as the one led by José Antonio Kast. This has to do not only with the current balance of ideological forces within this sector but also with the fact that nationalism and populism have never been strong trends in the Chilean Right.