In the end, the 68-year-old Pinera, who governed from 2010 to 2014, won more votes than any president since Chile’s return to democracy in 1990. “Despite our great differences, there are large points of agreement,” Pinera said of Guillier as his supporters waved Chilean flags in downtown Santiago. In the streets of Santiago’s wealthy neighborhoods, where Pinera took some 90 percent of votes, residents blared their horns in support. The investor favorite in the $250 billion economy, Pinera’s proposals are seen as pro mining in a country where copper is king. BILLIONAIRE TURNED PRESIDENTThe son of a prominent centrist politician, Pinera is a Harvard-trained economist who made his fortune introducing credit cards to Chile in the 1980s.

Source: New Strait Times December 18, 2017 03:00 UTC