WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - Far-right Jose Antonio Kast has been elected as Chile's president.
In the presidential election run off held on Sunday, Kast secured 58.30 percent of the votes while leftist candidate Jeannette Jara won 41.70 percent.
The defeat for the ruling left-wing coalition candidate is seen as voters' mandate against the government over rising crime and immigration.
Kast, who is an admirer of former right-wing dictator Augusto Pinochet and US President Donald Trump, said while addressing supporters after the polls ended, 'Chile will once again be free from crime, free from anguish, free from fear.'
'Criminals, delinquents - their lives are going to change. We're going to look for them, find them, judge them and then we're going to lock them up,' he added.
Kast had promised to deploy the military to crime-affected areas to restore order and build border walls and deport illegal migrants as part of crack down on irregular immigration. He also pledged to implement major cuts in public spending.
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