Gabriel Boric elected as the youngest-ever President-elect of Chile

Leftist and former student leader Gabriel Boric, 35, will become Chile’s youngest President after he won a presidential runoff election. He defeated his opposition Jose Antonio Kast in the elections. Gabriel Boric will assume office in March 2022, will become the youngest president in Chile’s history. Official results gave Mr. Boric 56% of the votes against Mr. Kast’s 44%. Mr. Kast conceded defeat barely an hour-and-a-half after polls closed, and with around half of ballots counted.

The president-elect also promised to block a controversial proposed mining project which he said would destroy communities and the national environment. Chile’s currency, the peso, plunged to a record low against the US dollar after Mr Boric’s victory. Stock markets fell by 10%, with mining stocks performing particularly badly.