Today, Chilean voters are participating in the heated presidential election, in which a former right-wing congressman will run against a leftist pro-protests candidate.

Right-wing candidate José Antonio Kast, 55, has vowed to fight crime and praised the liberal "economic legacy" of former dictator Augusto Pinochet.

Leftist candidate Gabriel Boric is a 35-year-old member of parliament who led student protests in 2011. His program is centered around the development of Chile's education system. He pledged to abolish the laissez-faire economic model while promoting environmental protection and indigenous people's rights.

¿Qué necesitas para ir a votar mañana? Un lápiz pasta azul, tu carnet de identidad, mascarilla y alcohol gel. También puedes ir con una botella de agua, buena música, ¡y todas tus ganas de construir un país mejor!⁰

Vota y que no te cuenten la historia, ¡hazla tú mism@! pic.twitter.com/olLtok4wxD

— Gabriel Boric Font (@gabrielboric) November 20, 2021

Boric represents a large segment of the conservative and centrist politicians who have dominated the political scene in Chile for decades.

The elections come following two years of protests, which were sometimes violent, to demand better living conditions. Polling stations open today at 8 am local time and are scheduled to close at 6 pm. Results are expected to be announced shortly after.

It is reported that a few days ago, the current Chilean President, Sebastian Pinera, botched an attempt to impeach him by the Senate, due to corruption accusations presented against him over the last Pandora Papers leaks.

This came during a hearing at the Senate, which rejected the request to impeach the country's president, due to the lack of a quorum necessary for this. The impeachment took place in two sessions, during which the necessary quorum (29 votes out of 43) was not reached for his impeachment.

Chile witnessed the opening of an investigation and accountability against the president, following the spread of reports that his family sold in 2010, during his first term, a share in the mines of Dominga worth $152 million, with part of the deal passing through a company registered in the British Virgin Islands.