Chile elects far-right José Antonio Kast as next president

Chile has elected the far-right wing José Antonio Kast to be its next president, after an election campaign that was dominated by themes of security, immigration and crime. K

ast beat the governing left-wing coalition candidate Jeanette Jara decisively with more than 58% of the vote in his third attempt at running for president. I

t marks the biggest shift to the right since the end of Chile's military dictatorship in 1990. K

ast has openly praised Chile's former right-wing dictator, Augusto Pinochet. I

n his first speech to supporters as president-elect, Kast said: "Chile will once again be free from crime, free from anguish, free from fear." "

Criminals, delinquents - their lives are going to change. W

e're going to look for them, find them, judge them and then we're going to lock them up," he added. A

t a gathering of his backers in the capital Santiago, many draped in Chilean flags, chanting and taking selfies, there was jubilation as the results came through. "

I'm happy we can recover the country's security and patriotism," said Augustina Trancoso, donning a red "Make Chile Great Again" cap. "

We've been trying to win an election for years," said Belem Valdivieso. "