Leftist lawmaker Gabriel Boric defeated right-wing candidate Jose Antonio Kast in Chile’s presidential runoff on Sunday.
The 35-year-old, who rose to prominence leading protests in 2011 demanding better education, will be the nation’s youngest leader.
Boric has promised to address economic inequality, raise taxes on the rich and boost green investments.
A native of Punta Arenas, in Chile’s far south, Boric as a student led the Federation of Students at the University of Chile in Santiago.
He rose to prominence leading protests in 2011 demanding improved and cheaper education.
By 2014, still in his 20s, he had joined the national Congress as a lower-house lawmaker, representing Chile’s vast and sparsely populated southernmost region of Magallanes.
His win in the country’s second round paves the way not only for a generational shift but also for the biggest economic changes in decades for one of Latin America’s richest countries, a global financial market favorite.
He will face enormous challenges including a divided congress, sharp economic slowdown, the writing of a new constitution and the lingering threat of social unrest.
