Leftist millennial wins election as Chile’s next president

SANTIAGO, Chile (AP) — A leftist millennial who roseate to prominence during anti-government protests was elected Chile’s adjacent president Sunday aft a bruising run against a free-market firebrand likened to Donald Trump.

With much than 90% of polling stations reporting, Gabriel Boric had 56% of the votes, compared to 44% for his opponent, lawmaker José Antonio Kast.

Kast tweeted a photograph of himself connected the telephone with his hostile congratulating him connected his “grand triumph” arsenic supporters of Boric gathered successful downtown Santiago to celebrate. Outgoing President Sebastian Pinera held a video league telephone with Boric to congratulate him.

“I americium going to beryllium the president of each Chileans,” Boric said successful the little televised quality with Pinera.

Boric, 35, volition go Chile’s youngest modern president erstwhile helium takes bureau successful March. He was among respective activists elected to Congress successful 2014 aft starring protests for higher prime education. On the stump, helium vowed to “bury” the neoliberal economical exemplary near by Gen. Augusto Pinochet’s 1973-1990 dictatorship and rise taxes connected the “super rich” to grow societal services, combat inequality and boost protections of the environment.

Kast, who has a past of defending Chile’s past subject dictatorship, finished up of Boric by 2 points in the archetypal circular of voting past period but failed to unafraid a bulk of votes. That acceptable up a head-to-head runoff against Boric.

Boric was capable to reverse the quality by a larger borderline than adjacent pre-election sentiment polls forecast by expanding beyond his basal successful the capital, Santiago, and attracting voters successful agrarian areas who don’t broadside with governmental extremes. For example, successful the bluish portion of Antofagasta, wherever helium finished 3rd successful the archetypal circular of voting, helium trounced Kast by astir 20 points.

Kast, 55, a devout Roman Catholic and begetter of nine, emerged from the acold close fringe aft having won little than 8% of the ballot successful 2017. He roseate steadily successful the polls this clip with a divisive sermon emphasizing blimpish household values and playing connected Chileans’ fears that a surge successful migration — from Haiti and Venezuela — is driving crime.

A longtime lawmaker, helium has a grounds of attacking Chile’s LGBTQ community and advocating much restrictive termination laws. He besides accused outgoing President Sebastian Pinera, a chap conservative, of betraying the economical bequest of Gen. Augusto Pinochet, the country’s erstwhile subject leader. Kast’s brother, Miguel, was 1 of Pinochet’s apical advisers.

In caller days, some candidates tried to veer toward the center.

“I’m not an extremist. … I don’t consciousness acold right,” Kast proclaimed successful the last agelong adjacent arsenic helium was dogged by revelations that his German-born begetter had been a card-carrying subordinate of Adolf Hitler’s Nazi party.

Boric, who is backed by a conjugation of leftist parties that includes Chile’s Communist Party, brought much centrist advisers onto his squad and promised that immoderate changes would beryllium gradual and fiscally responsible.

“On some sides, radical are voting retired of fear,” Robert Funk, a governmental idiosyncratic astatine the University of Chile, said earlier the ballot count. “Neither broadside is peculiarly enthused with their campaigner but they are voting retired of fearfulness that, if Kast wins, determination volition an authoritarian regression oregon due to the fact that they fearfulness Boric is excessively young, inexperienced and aligned with the communists.”

Boric’s triumph apt to beryllium tempered by a divided congress.

In addition, the governmental rules could soon alteration due to the fact that a recently elected normal is rewriting the country’s Pinochet-era constitution. The normal — the nation’s astir almighty elected instauration — could successful mentation telephone for caller statesmanlike elections erstwhile it concludes its enactment adjacent twelvemonth and if the caller charter is ratified successful a plebiscite.

Associated Press writer Patricia Luna reported successful Santiago and AP writer Joshua Goodman reported from Miami.