The president of El Salvador, Nayib Bukele, plans to visit Chile 'at a future date' after meeting this Friday with the elected president of the South American country, José Antonio Kast, although he did not specify if he will do so for the far-right leader's inauguration, scheduled for March 11. 'Definitely, yes, we want to visit them.' Kast, who won with over 58% of the vote in the December elections and will succeed progressive Gabriel Boric on March 11, landed in the Dominican Republic last Saturday, where he met with that country's president, Luis Abinader. The Chilean politician participated in Panama in the International Economic Forum Latin America and the Caribbean 2026, organized by CAF - development bank of Latin America and the Caribbean. At that forum, he coincided with several heads of state at the inaugural session, such as the president of Panama, José Raúl Mulino; of Brazil, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva; of Bolivia, Rodrigo Paz; of Ecuador, Daniel Noboa; of Guatemala, Bernardo Arévalo and the prime minister of Jamaica, Andrew Holness. The president of El Salvador, Nayib Bukele (r), speaks at a press conference during a meeting with the elected president of Chile, José Antonio Kast, this January 30, 2026, in San Salvador (El Salvador). Father of nine children and with ultra-conservative convictions on individual freedoms, Kast will be the ninth president of Chile since the return to democracy and the first of extreme right. The president of El Salvador, Nayib Bukele, plans to visit Chile but not for Kast's inauguration. 'I don't know if the inauguration (oath-taking) will be the best day or if it's better to choose a future date,' he said and added 'but we will go, God willing, we will go to Chile.' Bukele and Kast made a joint statement after a private meeting at the Presidential House, in San Salvador, after the Chilean toured the Center for Confinement of Terrorism (Cecot), a maximum-security prison for gang members, during a corresponding tour of Central America and the Caribbean. The government of President Bukele reported this Friday that it is willing to support Chile in the implementation of a penitentiary system taking as an example that of El Salvador, which has the Cecot. The president of El Salvador, Nayib Bukele, speaks at a press conference during a meeting with the elected president of Chile, José Antonio Kast, this January 30, 2026, in San Salvador (El Salvador).
