A 54 year old self proclaimed agnostic, mother of three and divorcee with a medical speciatly in pediatrics does not sound like the ideal canidate for president of a religiously Roman catholic and socially conservative country such as Chile, but Michelle Bachelet became Chile's first elected female president.
Bachelet, previously Latin America's first female defense minister, a center-left leader, won by 53.5 % of the poll winning all but one of the 13 regions in Chile. A torture victim of the Pinochet era, who's father died in prison after being tortured under the dictatorship. "Because I was the victim of hatred, I have dedicated my life to reverse that hatred and turn it into understanding, tolerance and - why not say it - into love." she said. She does not plan on making radical changes to the now stable Chilean economy and will continue to support free market trade but also mentioned that each country should move at it's own pace in the free market. She plans on strengthening her relations with Peru and Bolivia, with whom Chile has historically had land ownership problems. She plans on rooting out the social divide in Chile and as a first step she will name a cabinet with an equal number of women and men; an example to the nation that women do not have to be stay-at-home mothers and that they are just as capable as men. Her victory over the billonaire Piñero is a step into a future of tolerance and social equality for not only Chile but to the whole world.

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