Sunday's election makes Chile the latest country in Latin America to decisively swing from the left to the right, following Argentina, Bolivia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador and Panama. Peru, Colombia and Brazil face pivotal elections next year.

Chile elects hard-right José Antonio Kast as president, marking sharp political shift with focus on security and immigration reform.

Chile's state-owned energy company, ENAP, has signed a landmark agreement with four Argentine firms to import crude oil from the Vaca Muerta region.

Chileans on Sunday picked right-winger Jose Antonio Kast to head the country. Now, the mining industry is focused on who he will choose to lead state copper giant Codelco.

José Antonio Kast’s rise to power will give the U.S. another strategic ally in Latin America, as he joins leaders from El Salvador to Ecuador to Argentina who are closely aligned with President Trump.

By Alexander Villegas and Fabian Cambero SANTIAGO, Dec 14 (Reuters) - Chileans are voting in a runoff presidential election on Sunday that is expected to result in the South American country's sharpest rightward shift since the end of the military dictatorship in 1990.

They resisted conquest first by the ancient Incas, then by the Spanish. They fought as the nascent Chilean state annexed their territories and as military dictator Gen. Augusto Pinochet devastated their communities by terminating collective property, allowing for the confiscation and sale of their lands to forestry companies.

Chile is projecting a historic year in international trade. The country's exports reached $95.719 billion as of November, up 6.8% from a year ago.