UPDATE - Polls close as Chileans complete 1st round of voting in polarized presidential race

REVISES DECK, ADDS LATEST DEVELOPMENTS

By Laura Gamba

BOGOTA, Colombia (AA) - Chile's presidential election will proceed to a runoff on Dec. 14, as none of the eight candidates secured the required 50% of the vote for an outright victory Sunday.

The second round will pit the left-wing frontrunner, Jeannette Jara, against the far-right candidate, Jose Antonio Kast.

Jara, of the Communist Party, is the former labor minister in the current left-wing government. Kast, the Republican Party's leader, is an ultraconservative lawyer and former lawmaker who campaigned on a hardline platform demanding an "iron fist" to restore public order.

With 83% of the ballots processed, the results showed Jara leading with 26.7%, closely followed by Kast with 24.1%. Although economist Franco Parisi placed third, only the top two candidates advance to the runoff.

Both Jara and Kast must now focus on courting the voters of the eliminated candidates. This task will be particularly challenging for Jara, as the majority of votes cast for the defeated candidates were won by those leaning to the right.

Jara thanked her supporters for their commitment in the first round and urged them to promote "a message of hope and the future" ahead of the runoff.

Kast appeared before his supporters alongside Evelyn Matthei, who had placed fifth with 12.8% of the vote and swiftly conceded defeat, announcing her immediate support for Kast in the upcoming second round.

He expressed gratitude for Matthei's endorsement and vowed that if elected, he would aim to solve the problems that President Gabriel Boric's government has failed to address.

This election is widely considered one of the most polarized in recent decades, taking place amid widespread public concern over rising crime and immigration.

President Boric congratulated both Jara and Kast for advancing to the second round. In a message to the nation, he called on both contenders to engage in "a debate with high standards" that focuses on proposing credible solutions to Chile's main national problems.