Voters appear early in Chile’s polarized presidential run Election News

Antofagasta, Chile – From the dry desert bones of the northern Atacama Desert to Antarctica, Chileans are voting in favor of the next president in a controversial election.

Jose Antonio Kast, a far-right Conservative in the campaign for the rule of law and order, opposes the progressive Social Democrat Gabriel Boric. advocating for social justice.

The results are expected to close the polls in a few hours.

In the first round of elections last month, 47.3% of the more than 15 million registered voters in Chile took part.

This time, voters began to appear as soon as the vote opened, as they had in the last month, instead of waiting until late.

Boric, a 35-year-old congressman and former student activist, promised to renew the pension system to advance LGBTQ and women’s rights, tackle climate change, and increase mining gifts and corporate taxes.

Kast, a 55-year-old lawyer and former congressman, has advocated for security, government cuts and tax breaks to boost investment.

His anti-LGBTQ career and appreciation for Pinochet have influenced his campaign.

“I voted for Kast,” Juan Diaz, 73, told Al Jazeera after his vote at a local school in Antofagasta, more than 1,300 kilometers (808 miles) north of Santiago.

“Capital creates well-being. I go where the money is. ”

Luis Perez, 29, said that people are actively using social media to express their views on elections, even though some have aroused hatred.

“I will vote for Boric,” Perez said. “I’m thinking about the whole country.”

Meanwhile, the contrast between the candidates is more pronounced than ever.

Since the end of the 1973-90 dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet, Chile has been ruled by blocs closer to the political center than the Kast and Boric coalitions.

The winner will take office for a four-year term beginning in March next year. The elected representatives of the citizens will be in power for the planned referendum on a new constitution.

The constitutional convention in 2019 was a concession to mass protests against structural inequalities.

Boric was in favor of replacing the constitution during the dictatorship, while Kaste was against it.

Sunday voter turnout, especially for young people, can be critical. The caste had an advantage over voters over the age of 50, and those under the age of 30 favored Boric.

Chilean presidential candidate Gabriel Boric snaps a photo with supporters at a polling station in Chile’s Punta Arenas [Juan Carlos Avendano/Reuters]

“This election process has mobilized a lot of people,” said Beatriz Vega, a member of the Red de Politologas network of women political scientists.

“At least in the Boric campaign they identified that the youth vote was low and in this second round I would say that the spontaneous social media campaign was aimed at that audience.

“In the case of castes, I think it’s harder to see what he did because he hasn’t been in the public space for so long.”