Two political upstarts notch upset wins in Chile's presidential primaries

FILE PHOTO: Executive vice-president of Corfo (Corporation for the promotion of production) Sebastian Sichel (R) speaks next to National Economic Prosecutor, Mario Ybar Abad, during a session of the Chilean Senate in Valparaiso, Chile October 16, 2018. REUTERS/Rodrigo Garrido

SANTIAGO (Reuters) - Presidential primaries on Sunday for Chile's left- and right-leaning coalitions upended predictions, leaving leftist former student leader Gabriel Boric and center-right upstart Sebastian Sichel as major contenders in November's general election.

On the left, underdog Boric, 35, a lawmaker with more moderate views who hails from the Patagonia region of far-southern Chile, garnered 60% of the vote in the primary, soundly defeating Communist party contender and Santiago-region Mayor Daniel Jadue.