35-year-old leftist Gabriel Boric elected Chile’s next President

Youngest in Latin American history, a student leader turned leftist politician, Gabriel Boric, who rose to prominence after the 'occupy movement' , has been elected as the Chile's next president.

35 years old Boric led a fierce campaign against new liberal policies of the outgoing Chilean government.

The right wing leader, Jose Antonio Kast who is dubbed as the Boris Johnson of Chile by his critics, stood second in the race for the presidency.

Boric swiftly defeated Kast by 10 points in the final count.

After the defeat, Kast, who is known for his hard conservative stance, tweeted a photo of himself on the phone congratulating his opponent on his “grand triumph.”

Kast later traveled personally to meet Boric at his campaign headquarters.

Meanwhile, outgoing President Sebastian Pinera – conservative billionaire – held a video conference with Boric to offer his government’s full support during the three-month transition.

Boric’s historical victory is considered significant in the world politics as he vehemently opposed liberal policies and privatisation of PSUs by the outgoing government.

Boric promised greater participation of women in politics and governance. He also promised to stop mining projects in Chile, which is the world’s largest copper producer.

His poll promise included several progressive welfare steps such as ending Chile’s private pension system – a hallmark of the neoliberal economic model imposed by the dictatorship of Gen. Augusto Pinochet.

Notably, the outgoing president Kast openly hailed Pinochet who was considered a puppet of the USA by the leftists.

Boric vowed to “bury” the neoliberal economic model left by Pinochet’s 1973-1990 dictatorship and raise taxes on the “super-rich” to expand social services, fight inequality and boost protection of the environment.

“We are a generation that emerged in public life demanding our rights be respected as rights and not treated like consumer goods or a business,” said Boric after his victory.

“We know there continues to be justice for the rich, and justice for the poor, and we no longer will permit that the poor keep paying the price of Chile’s inequality,” he added.