Chile has become the latest country in Latin America to veer toward the right, electing a deeply conservative veteran politician who has long attracted comparisons to Donald Trump.

(THE CONVERSATION) Chileans have elected the most right-wing presidential candidate since the end of the Augusto Pinochet dictatorship over three and a half decades ago.

The populist, right-wing candidate in Chile won the presidency over his left-wing communist opponent by a healthy margin on Sunday, marking another milestone in the continuing shift to the right in America’s back yard.

Ultra-conservative candidate José Antonio Kast led Chile’s presidential election on Sunday, positioning the country for a sharp turn to the right after four years of leftist governance.

The Mapuches have endured centuries of battle. They are Chile’s biggest Indigenous group who make up roughly 12% of the country's 19 million people.