"I am a woman, a socialist, separated and agnostic -- all the sins [put] together," said Chilean presidential candidate Michelle Bachelet with a laugh.
Then, asked about her favorite food, she beamed with her trademark smile: "Ahhh! That is my problem, I like everything, seafood, pastas, beans ... "
Whether joking about being a political outsider or being overweight, this 54-year-old mother of three has become the darling of Chilean politics. Her perceived humor and honesty have catapulted her to the top of the ratings, and she is a clear favorite to win tomorrow's presidential elections.
PHOTO: AFP
A poll released on Thursday shows Bachelet with a 53 percent share of the vote -- a five-point lead over her opponent, billionaire businessman Sebastian Pinera.
If elected, Bachelet, a pediatrician who was tortured and lost her father under the Pinochet regime, will become the first woman elected president of a South American nation.
"She is going to take the reins of this country as if it were a big house. She is going to manage us well," said Juan Angel Gaete, a real estate broker in Santiago who said only a woman was capable of solving Chile's problems.
"Look at us men, we do one thing at a time, while the mom is cooking, talking on the phone, feeding the children and listening to the radio," he said.
For a single mother, with little money and no famous last name, Bachelet's rise to power has been remarkable. Chilean politics are as traditional as the rest of this conservative Catholic nation.
Never before has a woman been considered a serious candidate.
At first sight Bachelet, a fluent English speaker who has both lived and worked in the US, looks like a friendly schoolteacher. She often drives her own car, uses no bodyguards and refuses to attack her political opponents.
This non-confrontational style has been criticized as superficial, yet Chileans consistently rank her as the most honest and capable politician in the nation.
This week Segolene Royal, the French socialist politician, flew to Chile to support her campaign. For the campaign finale on Thursday, Spanish singers including Miguel Bose sponsored a free concert for an estimated 100,000 Bachelet supporters in downtown Santiago.
A sense of spontaneity and distance from traditional politics has provided Bachelet with an extremely loyal base of supporters.
"I lived the dictatorship and have very bad memories of Pinochet, I am afraid of the rightwing parties," said Ricardo Yanez, 46, a school teacher. "With Bachelet, I share her values."
While leftwing governments across the continent, notably Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez and incoming Bolivian President Evo Morales, are questioning the free-market model, Bachelet is expected to maintain Chile's wide open economy.
Ricardo Lagos, the current charismatic leader, has presided over an economic boom that has seen the economy growing at 5 percent and exports doubling in less than three years. It has made Chile a model of stability in the otherwise tumultuous region.
In addition to the economic success, Lagos has showcased Chilean leadership, particularly in his refusal to bow to pressure from US President George Bush to support the war in Iraq.
A member of the socialist party, Bachelet has focused her campaign promises on pre-school education, the rights of working mothers and enforcing Chile's lax labor laws.
FRAUD ALLEGED: The leader of an opposition alliance made allegations of electoral irregularities and called for a protest in Tirana as European leaders are to meet Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama’s Socialist Party scored a large victory in parliamentary elections, securing him his fourth term, official results showed late on Tuesday. The Socialist Party won 52.1 percent of the vote on Sunday compared with 34.2 percent for an alliance of opposition parties led by his main rival Sali Berisha, according to results released by the Albanian Central Election Commission. Diaspora votes have yet to be counted, but according to initial results, Rama was also leading there. According to projections, the Socialist Party could have more lawmakers than in 2021 elections. At the time, it won 74 seats in the
A Croatian town has come up with a novel solution to solve the issue of working parents when there are no public childcare spaces available: pay grandparents to do it. Samobor, near the capital, Zagreb, has become the first in the country to run a “Grandmother-Grandfather Service,” which pays 360 euros (US$400) a month per child. The scheme allows grandparents to top up their pension, but the authorities also hope it will boost family ties and tackle social isolation as the population ages. “The benefits are multiple,” Samobor Mayor Petra Skrobot told reporters. “Pensions are rather low and for parents it is sometimes
CONTROVERSY: During the performance of Israel’s entrant Yuval Raphael’s song ‘New Day Will Rise,’ loud whistles were heard and two people tried to get on stage Austria’s JJ yesterday won the Eurovision Song Contest, with his operatic song Wasted Love triumphing at the world’s biggest live music television event. After votes from national juries around Europe and viewers from across the continent and beyond, JJ gave Austria its first victory since bearded drag performer Conchita Wurst’s 2014 triumph. After the nail-biting drama as the votes were revealed running into yesterday morning, Austria finished with 436 points, ahead of Israel — whose participation drew protests — on 357 and Estonia on 356. “Thank you to you, Europe, for making my dreams come true,” 24-year-old countertenor JJ, whose
CANCER: Jose Mujica earned the moniker ‘world’s poorest president’ for giving away much of his salary and living a simple life on his farm, with his wife and dog Tributes poured in on Tuesday from across Latin America following the death of former Uruguayan president Jose “Pepe” Mujica, an ex-guerrilla fighter revered by the left for his humility and progressive politics. He was 89. Mujica, who spent a dozen years behind bars for revolutionary activity, lost his battle against cancer after announcing in January that the disease had spread and he would stop treatment. “With deep sorrow, we announce the passing of our comrade Pepe Mujica. President, activist, guide and leader. We will miss you greatly, old friend,” Uruguayan President Yamandu Orsi wrote on X. “Pepe, eternal,” a cyclist shouted out minutes later,
RSS