Gabriel Boric, a former leftist student leader will soon be subject to pressure from his young supporters to keep his promise to rebuild Chile. After achieving a historic win in Chile’s millennial elections, the politician is now firmly established as the nation’s newest president. presidential runoff election.

Boric traveled up and down Chile for months, vowing to create a youth-led inclusive government that would combat nagging poverty. He also said that inequality and injustice were unacceptable consequences of the free market system that was established decades ago under the rule of General Augusto Pinochet.

It paid off. With 56% of the votes, Boric on Sunday handily defeated his opponent, far-right lawmaker José Antonio Kast, by more than 10 points and at age 35 was elected Chile’s youngest modern president.

Boric, surrounded by a crowd of Santiago supporters, climbed on top of a steel barricade and reached the stage. Here he gave a stirring victory speech in Mapuche for thousands mostly young people.

Boric declared that, “We are the generation that came out in public life demanding their rights to be respected as rights” and should not be treated like a consumer product or business. We know that justice exists for the wealthy and justice for those who are poor. And we will not allow the poor to continue paying the cost of Chile’s inequalities.

The bespectacled and bearded President-elect discussed the progressive views that he had taken to launch his unlikely campaign. He also promised to stop climate change by blocking the proposed mining project. This is in the largest country producing copper.

He also called for an end to Chile’s private pension system — the hallmark of the neoliberal economic model imposed by Pinochet.

The ambitious agenda has been made harder by a gridlocked congress, ideological divisions that recall Chile’s ghosts and those who were brought to light during the bruising campaigns.

Boric finished two points behind Kast last month, who has a track record of supporting Chile’s former military dictatorship. His attempt to paint his opponent as an accomplice of the Communist Party, who wants Latin America’s best-performing advanced economy to collapse fell apart in the head-tohead race.

In a demonstration of democracy civility, Kast conceded defeat immediately and tweeted a picture of him on the phone, congratulating his rival on their “grand victory.” Later, he traveled to Boric’s headquarters for campaign meetings to personally meet his opponent.

Boric and Sebastian Pinera (a conservative billionaire) held a conference call with Boric in order to express his full support for the transition of three months. It will come after a runoff which saw more Chileans vote than the first round. This will increase turnout to almost 56%, the highest level since 2012.

Cynthia Arnson of the Wilson Center, Washington, heads the Latin America program. She said, “It is impossible not to be impressed at the historic turnout. The willingness of Kast concede and congratulate him even before the results in. And the generous words from President Pinera.” For sure, Chilean democracy won today.

Young supporters of Boric waved flags with their names while jumping up and screaming as they headed to Santiago for the winner’s speech.

Boris Soto (a teacher) said, “This is an historic day.” “We have overcome not only fascism and the right wing but also fear.”

Boric will take office as Chile’s current president in March. He is also the second Latin America millennial to hold that position after Nayib Bukele in El Salvador. Giacomo Simoncini from the European city-state San Marino is the only other head of government younger than Boric.

Latin America will be watching closely the formation of the new government. Chile is a long-standing indicator of regional trends.

This was Latin America’s first nation to end its Cold War dominance and embrace socialism, with Salvador Allende being elected in 1970. A few years later, it was back on track when Pinochet’s coup propelled a right-wing military regime that launched an experiment in free markets throughout the region.

Boric has a lofty goal to create a European-style social democratic that will expand political and economic rights in order to combat nagging inequality. However, it won’t stray too far from the authoritarianism that is embraced by much of Latin America’s left (from Cuba to Venezuela). This task is made even more difficult by the coronavirus epidemic, which has accelerated the reverse of 10 years of economic gains.

Boric managed to win by going beyond Santiago, his capital city, and reaching rural areas. Boric won the Antofagasta region by nearly 20 points over Kast.

Chilean women were also key in Kast’s win. They are a critical voting bloc that fears Kast will reverse decades of steady gains. Kast (55), a Roman Catholic devout father of nine has a history of attacking Chile’s LGBTQ community as well as advocating for more restrictive abortion laws. He was even mocked by one of his friends.

Boric in his victory speech promised that Chile’s females would “protagonists in a government which seeks to leave behind once again the patriarchal inheritament of our society.”