Chile’s youngest president will be 35 years old.

Gabriel Boric, a leftist candidate, has won Chile’s presidential election, becoming the country’s youngest leader ever.

The 35-year-old former student protest leader defeated his far-right opponent José Antonio Kast by ten points in what was thought to be a close election.

Mr Boric promised supporters that he would protect democracy and put a stop to Chile’s neoliberal economic paradigm.

He will govern a country that has been shaken by rallies against inequality and corruption in recent years.

With his supporters waving flags and blasting car horns, Mr Boric’s triumph spurred celebrations on the streets of Santiago, Chile’s capital.

Mr Boric said in his speech that he was taking on the role with humility and a “tremendous feeling of duty,” vowing to “vigorously combat the privileges of a few.”

“We’re up against a huge obstacle. I recognize that the destiny of our nation is at stake in the coming years, therefore I pledge to be a president who values democracy and does not jeopardize it, who listens more than he speaks, seeks unity, and caters to the concerns of the people on a daily basis,” he addressed supporters.

According to official findings, Mr Boric received 56 percent of the vote to Mr Kast’s 44 percent. Mr Kast conceded defeat just over an hour and a half after the polls closed, with around half of the votes tabulated.

Both candidates presented opposing views for the country, and both are outsiders who represent political parties that have never held power.

Chile, once Latin America’s most stable economy, now has one of the world’s biggest income disparities, with one percent of the population controlling 25% of the country’s wealth, according to the United Nations.

Mr Boric has committed to address this imbalance by expanding social rights, revamping Chile’s pension and healthcare systems, cutting the work week from 45 to 40 hours, and increasing green investment.

“We know there is justice for the affluent and justice for the poor,” he continued, “and we will no longer allow the poor to pay the price for Chile’s inequalities.”

The president-elect also pledged to veto a contentious proposed mining project, which he claims would devastate people and the environment.