CHILEAN Communist Party candidate Daniel Jadue has emerged as the shock front-runner ahead of November’s presidential elections, with a number of polls predicting he could sweep to power.

Pollster Cadem, which has close connections to the right-wing government of President Sebastien Pinera, was the latest to place Mr Jadue top for popular support on Monday, above Joaquin Lavin, the far-right candidate of the Independent Democratic Union, and the Christian Democratic Party’s Yasna Provote, who has yet to formally declare as a candidate.

It follows a recent Panel Ciudadano survey, carried out by the Universidad del Desarrollo, which found that Mr Jadue would win in all possible scenarios, including run-offs against his two closest rivals.