(MENAFN) Chile’s presidential contest is set to advance to a runoff on Dec. 14, as none of the eight contenders achieved the necessary 50% share of ballots for an unequivocal triumph on Sunday.

The forthcoming round will feature a showdown between the left-leaning frontrunner, Jeannette Jara, and the far-right hopeful, Jose Antonio Kast.

Jara, representing the Communist Party and previously serving as labor minister in the current progressive administration, will face Kast, the Republican Party’s leader—an ultraconservative attorney and former legislator who promoted a stringent agenda centered on an "iron fist" approach to reestablish public order.

With 83% of votes tallied, the figures placed Jara in the lead with 26.7%, with Kast close behind at 24.1%. Although economist Franco Parisi secured third place, only the top two contenders move forward to the decisive round.

Now, both Jara and Kast must work to attract the supporters of the ousted candidates. This effort will be especially demanding for Jara, given that most ballots cast for the defeated hopefuls favored right-leaning figures.

Jara expressed gratitude to her backers for their dedication in the initial round and encouraged them to spread "a message of hope and the future" as the runoff approaches.
Kast addressed his supporters accompanied by Evelyn Matthei, who finished fifth with 12.8% of the vote.

She promptly acknowledged her loss and declared her immediate endorsement of Kast in the forthcoming second round.

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