Today's Edition
SANTIAGO (AFP)
Chilean voters elected José Antonio Kast as president on Sunday, with official results showing Kast securing a thumping victory and his rival quickly conceding defeat.
With about 80 percent of the votes counted, Kast had 58 percent of the vote, an unassailable lead over Jeannette Jara, a Communist Party member heading a broad leftist coalition.
In central Santiago, Kast supporters beeped car horns and waved flags. Kast campaigned on promises to expel illegal immigrants, close the northern border, tackle high rates of violent crime, and restart a stalled economy.
For Kast, a 59-year-old father of nine, it was a lucky third attempt for the presidency.
After casting his vote near Santiago and taking a selfie with supporters, Kast promised to seek unity after a sometimes bitter campaign: "The winner will have to be the president of all Chileans."
In this election, voting is compulsory for the first time in more than a decade.
Almost 16 million citizens are registered to vote.
