Chile's Bosolonaro? Hard-right Kast rises, targeting 'crime and violence'

FILE PHOTO: Chilean presidential candidate Jose Antonio Kast from far-right Republican Party meets with Chilean-based international media reporters in Santiago, Chile, November 12, 2021. REUTERS/Ivan Alvarado/File Photo

SANTIAGO (Reuters) - Chilean ultra-conservative Jose Antonio Kast, sometimes likened to Brazilian leader Jair Bolsonaro, is in the driving seat to become the Andean country's next president after leading in a first-round ballot on Sunday.

Kast took top spot with some 28% of the vote with most ballots counted, ahead of 35-year-old former student leader Gabriel Boric on 25.6%, meaning the two will head to a polarized run-off on Dec. 19.