Bachelet Sworn in

Earlier this week, Michele Bachelet was sworn in to start her second (non-consecutive) term as president of Chile.  Her first term was 2006-2010.

Via the BBC:  Michelle Bachelet sworn in as Chile’s president

Ms Bachelet is the first Chilean president in over half a century to return for a second term.

[…]

Ms Bachelet won 62% of the vote in the second round of the presidential election in December, well ahead of the 38% cast for Evelyn Matthei.

She campaigned on a promise to spend $15bn (£9.2bn) on reforming education, improving health care and reducing income disparity.

She also wants to increase taxes to offer free university education and reform political and economic structures dating from the 1973-1990 dictatorship of Gen Pinochet.

FILED UNDER: Latin America, World Politics,
Steven L. Taylor
About Steven L. Taylor
Steven L. Taylor is a Professor of Political Science and a College of Arts and Sciences Dean. His main areas of expertise include parties, elections, and the institutional design of democracies. His most recent book is the co-authored A Different Democracy: American Government in a 31-Country Perspective. He earned his Ph.D. from the University of Texas and his BA from the University of California, Irvine. He has been blogging since 2003 (originally at the now defunct Poliblog). Follow Steven on Twitter

Comments

  1. al-Ameda says:

    She campaigned on a promise to spend $15bn (£9.2bn) on reforming education, improving health care and reducing income disparity.
    She also wants to increase taxes to offer free university education and reform political and economic structures dating from the 1973-1990 dictatorship of Gen Pinochet.

    In this country such views and positions would cause her to be cast as a communist usurper by the Republican Party.

  2. Surreal American says:

    @al-Ameda:

    In this country such views and positions would cause her to be cast as a communist usurper by the Republican Party.

    No doubt pining for those days in Chile when communist usurpers were dealt with appropriately.

  3. @al-Ameda:

    In this country such views and positions would cause her to be cast as a communist usurper by the Republican Party.

    Uh… Bachlet actually was the Communist Party of Chile’s presidential nominee.

  4. al-Ameda says:

    @Stormy Dragon:

    Uh… Bachlet actually was the Communist Party of Chile’s presidential nominee.

    Chilean “communists” have a decidedly moderate set of policy preferences.

  5. Andre Kenji says:

    I´m a Centrist, and I think that the Concertácion governments in Chile were too Conservative.

  6. @al-Ameda:

    Chilean “communists” have a decidedly moderate set of policy preferences.

    I’m reminded of the P. J. O’Rourke quip that the Swedish Social Democratic party was able to get socialism to work through the simple expedient of not actually having any.

    Nevertheless, my point wasn’t how extreme or not extreme Bachlet’s positions are. It’s that it’s not a good comparison to Republican paranoia about Obama when there are actual communists in her governing coalition.