Elections in Chile

By Beth Klemick

My original blog entry today was to cover the structure of the European Union; instead I wanted to write about a more current event that occurred this past Sunday in Chile. Michelle Bachelet became the first elected female chief executive officer in Latin America. Her political rise and election as Chile's first female President is unique. President-elect Michelle Bachelet is the fifth female President in Latin America, but she is the first female in Latin American political history whose rise to power was not linked to a powerful husband. Latin America has seen four female leaders: Violeta Chamorro in Nicaragua, Janet Jagan in Guyana, and Mireya Moscoso in Panama; all three of these women obtained political influence and power via the deaths of their husbands and the political positions they held. Lastly in history, who could forget Maria Estela Isabel Peron, who served a disastrous stint as chief executive after the death of her husband, Argentine President Juan Peron, in 1974.

Michelle Bachelet is a physician and single mother of three, and she has endured much strife. Her father, who was a general in the Air Force and sympathized with Salvador Allende's democratically elected leftist government, was arrested and tortured during the Pinochet-led coup in September 1973. He died in custody then Michelle and her mother were subsequently arrested. While in exile both she and her mother were active in the Chilean opposition movement.

Michelle Bachelet will be sworn in for her four-year term on March 11. She won nearly 54% of the vote, based on a tally from more than 97% of polling stations, as quoted by the government Electoral Service.