Chile picks new presidential candidate

CHILEANS were to elect a new president yesterday, facing a stark choice between the most right-wing candidate in 35 years of democracy and the head of a broad leftist coalition.

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Almost 16 million citizens can cast their ballot in the runoff vote between father-of-nine Jose Antonio Kast and his rival Jeannette Jara, a longstanding member of the Communist Party.

Polls show Kast as the strong front-runner, with his tough-on-crime and anti-migrant message seemingly registering with Chileans.

"The country is falling apart" 59-year-old Kast has claimed on the campaign trail, often speaking from behind bulletproof glass to underscore his point.

Once one of the safest and most prosperous countries in the Americas, Chile has been hit hard in recent years by the Covid-19 pandemic, violent social protests, and an influx of foreign organised crime.

Kast is far to the right of most Chileans on many issues.

But voters fed up with high crime and slow growth during four years of leftist rule say they will vote for change, despite misgivings.