Chileans are voting on Sunday to elect a president as one of Latin America’s wealthiest nations faces the unfamiliar challenges of high crime, clandestine migration and a torpid economy.
Voters will choose between eight candidates, with top contenders including ultra-conservative José Antonio Kast, Evelyn Matthei from the center-right and Jeannette Jara, a member of the Communist Party. They will also elect deputies for the 155-member lower house and about half of the Senate. Polls opened at 8 a.m. and close at 6 p.m. local time, with results expected two to three hours later.
Polls show Jara advancing to the runoff on Dec. 14, where she will likely lose to one of the opposition candidates. That means the main question has become how far right the country will swing, as new mandatory voting rules force millions more to cast a ballot. Aside from Kast and Matthei, libertarian outsider Johannes Kaiser has enjoyed a surge in support in recent weeks and is a serious contender.
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