Chile's presidential election will go to a run-off vote in December between a Communist Party candidate and a far-right candidate, after a first round on Sunday produced no outright winner.
The election campaign was dominated by crime and immigration, as the flow of people into the country has recently grown, while candidates pledged to fight foreign gangs like Venezuela's Tren de Aragua.
The Communist Party's Jeannette Jara, from the governing coalition, narrowly won the first round, followed closely by far-right rival José Antonio Kast.
The result is expected to give a boost to Kast, as Jara was the only left-wing candidate running against several right-wing candidates, splitting the right-wing vote.
In the December 14 run-off, voters will have to coalesce around one of these two candidates.
Kast is expected to pick up votes from other candidates who did not make the final two, including the centre-right Senator Evelyn Matthei and the radical libertarian Congressman Johannes Kaiser.
If he wins, it would make Chile the latest country in Latin America to shift to the right.
Kast is a conservative lawyer and former congressman who lost the 2021 election's run-off to President Gabriel Boric. This is his third time running for president.
The father of nine has promoted a tough crackdown on immigration, including a Trump-style border wall. He opposes abortion even in cases of rape, has criticised environmental and indigenous activism, and wants to shrink the state.
Kast's family background includes his brother being a minister during Augusto Pinochet's dictatorship and his father being a member of the Nazi party.
Kast said on election night that Chile needed to avoid continuity of a very bad government - perhaps the worst government in the democratic history of Chile.
Jara, a member of the Communist Party, is perceived by many as centre-left in practice.
She was a minister in Boric's government and her platform has included pledging to increase production of lithium - a metal vital for electronics - as well as raising the minimum wage, building new prisons and deploying the army to protect Chile's borders.
Democracy in Chile, according to Jara, is something that must be valued and taken care of, stating that it costs a lot to recover it and today it is at risk.
Both candidates have emphasized their commitments to tackling crime and immigration, as organized crime and kidnappings have surged in the country.
Chile has seen significant growth in its foreign population since 2017, with the National Migration Service reporting a rise to over 1.9 million foreigners, more than 330,000 of whom are undocumented migrants.
Kast often blames immigration for rising crime rates, although studies indicate that foreign-born individuals commit crimes at a lower rate than Chileans.
Kast has proposed building ditches along Chile's northern border with Peru and Bolivia, as well as mass deportations of undocumented migrants.
Jara has also promised to expel foreigners convicted of drug trafficking.
This election marks a historic moment as it was the first time all eligible voters were automatically registered and voting was made compulsory in Chile.
