Over 15.77 million people are called to vote this Sunday in Chile's first mandatory presidential election, in a dispute between left-wing and far-right candidates as favorites, which will define the country's political course for the next four years. On this day, eight candidates are competing to advance to a potential second round, scheduled for next December 14, in case none surpasses 50% of the votes. The contest is centered between the former communist minister and government candidate Jeannette Jara; the leader of the local far-right, José Antonio Kast; the libertarian deputy Johannes Kaiser; and the representative of the traditional conservative right, Evelyn Matthei. With fewer chances, according to polls accessed by the Argentine News Agency with information from Xinhua, they also compete the sports leader Harold Mayne-Nicholls; the populist economist Franco Parisi; the far-left professor Eduardo Artés; and the founder of the Group of Puebla, Marco Enríquez-Ominami. In a climate of anticipation for a possible runoff, Chile is holding this Sunday the first presidential elections with automatic voter registration and mandatory voting, a mechanism that is projected to increase participation compared to previous processes. Parliamentary elections will also be held in parallel, which will completely renew the Chamber of Deputies and partially the Senate. It is projected that whoever assumes the Presidency of Chile next March will have to govern with a Congress fragmented in political parties, with high levels of polarization and the emergence of anti-democratic forces. According to official data, 15,779,102 people are enabled to vote, and the behavior of new voters is one of the main questions for analysts. The polling stations will be open from 8:00 to 18:00 nationwide.
