Chile Elects 35-Year-Old Gabriel Boric As Next President

Gabriel Boric, a former student activist-turned-legislator, was elected president of Chile, making history at 35-years-old as the country’s youngest leader.

What Happened: Boric first gained national attention in Chile as an organizer of 2011 student demonstrations that resulted in the government granting low-income students a tuition-free education. He was first elected to Congress in 2014.

The left-of-center Boric defeated conservative former lawmaker José Antonio Kast by a margin of 55% to 44% in a runoff election.

During the election, Kast attempted to depict Boric as a Communist because he led a coalition of left-wing parties that includes Chile’s Communist Party. The 55-year-old Kast won more votes than Boric in the first-round election last month, but Kast’s supportive comments of the Chile’s former dictator Augusto Pinochet alienated many voters who still carry harsh memories of life under Pinochet’s military regime.

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What Happens Next: Kast acknowledged Boric’s victory on social media, tweeting, "From now on, he is the president-elect of Chile and deserves all our respect and constructive collaboration.”

Boric takes office on March 11, 2022, and will oversee the completion of a new Constitution that is being drafted by the Chilean government that will replace the 1980 Constitution created by the Pinochet government.

Photo: Mediabanco Agencia / Wikimedia Commons