Just as the polls predicted, Jeannette Jara, the candidate of the left and progressivism, and José Antonio Kast, of the far-right Republican Party, are now the chosen ones to contest the Chilean presidency this coming December.

In this Sunday’s elections, for which 15.7 million voters were called, Jara won with 26.85 percent of the votes, followed by Kast with 23.93, the two far from the 50 percent plus one required to win in the first round.

«A new election begins today,» said the standard-bearer of the governing party, adding that in the run-off there will be two contenders with very different projects for the country: progressivism versus the far right.

Jara, 51, is a native of El Cortijo, a poor neighbourhood in the commune of Conchalí, in the northern part of the capital.

She was president of the Student Federation of the University of Santiago, a trade union leader, and a member of the Communist Youth since the age of 14.

In 1999, she moved to the Communist Party, which put her forward as its presidential candidate, although she later distanced herself from historical positions of that group and even announced the possibility of «suspending,» «freezing,» or «renouncing» her membership, should she be elected.

In the current government, she served as Minister of Labour and Social Security and achieved the approval of important legislation such as the increase of the minimum wage, the gradual reduction of the working day from 45 to 40 hours per week, and the reform to increase the amount of pensions.

Her rival, José Antonio Kast, 59, is a lawyer and politician of German origin who served as a municipal councillor and deputy and is aspiring to the presidency for the third time.

Kast advocates for a «firm hand» against crime, proposes building walls and digging trenches at the borders to stop migrants, as well as the construction of prisons in the style of El Salvador.

The Republican candidate proposes to shrink the role of the State and anticipates a cut in fiscal spending of six billion dollars in his first 18 months of government.

Kast has already received the support of Johannes Kaiser, the candidate of the extremist National Libertarian Party; and the standard-bearer of the traditional right, Evelyn Matthei; who came in fourth and fifth place with 13.94 and 12.47 percent of the votes, respectively.

The surprise of the night was delivered by the candidate of the conservative People’s Party, Franco Parisi, who came in third place, contrary to all forecasts.