Chile election results: Leftist Gabriel Boric, 35, wins Chile’s presidential
With 99.95% of ballots counted, Boric won with 55.87% of the vote, securing victory over his right-wing opponent, Jose Antonio Kast, who trailed with 44.13%, according to the Electoral Service of Chile. Boric will be sworn in as President on March 11.
Earlier Sunday, Kast conceded the election to Boric and congratulated his opponent “on his great triumph.”
“From today he is the elected President of Chile and deserves all our respect and constructive collaboration. Chile is always first,” Kast tweeted.
Speaking to supporters at his campaign headquarters Sunday night, President-elect Boric thanked the people of Chile.
“I want to begin this historical moment which is tremendously exciting, and that the eyes of Chile and the world are watching, thanking all Chileans who went to vote, honoring their commitment to democracy,” he said.
“It doesn’t matter if you did it for me or my opponent; the important thing is that you did it, you were present, you showed your commitment to this country that belongs to each of you.”
Outgoing Chilean President Sebastian Pinera congratulated Boric earlier in the evening, saying, “Chileans have given an example of democracy, you were part of that, I congratulate you.”
Video from CNN Chile showed celebrations in the capital, Santiago, on Sunday evening, with people waving banners and flags in support of Boric.
Polar opposites
Representing polar opposites of Chile’s presidential race, Boric and Kast emerged as the two leading candidates after a general election was held on November 21.
Kast garnered 28% of that vote, missing the necessary 50% needed to avoid a runoff. Boric came in second with 25%.
Kast, whose recent surge in popularity has surprised critics, has sometimes been compared to former US President Donald Trump and Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro — he is a staunch defender of former dictator General Augusto Pinochet’s regime and the free market. The 55-year-old former congressman’s agenda included a tax cut for companies, building barriers in the north of Chile to prevent migrants from entering illegally and abolishing abortion.
Boric meanwhile, was a student leader in the Chilean capital rallying against the country’s privatized education system alongside thousands of others, 10 years ago.
Boric’s political platform has been riding on that wave, which includes proposals for a more inclusive public health system, to cancel student debt, to raise taxes for the super wealthy and a revision of the state’s private pension system — which was inherited from Pinochet’s military regime.
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