Woman Candidate May Become Chile's Next President

This Sunday Chileans went to the polls for the fourth time since the return to democracy in 1990. According to polls Chile a generally socially conservative country is about to elect its first woman president.

Michelle Bachelet is the presidential candidate of the ruling centre-left Concertación coalition; she leads in all polls and is poised to become Chile's first female president this Sunday. She faces the challenge of three candidates from both the right and left.

Bachelet a Socialist wants to follow in the footsteps of outgoing and widely successful president fellow Socialist Ricardo Lagos.

Bachelet emerged as the favourite of the electorate after serving as Health and Defence Minister during the Lagos administration.

In 16 years the ruling coalition has modernized the country built a first world infrastructure, invested heavily in education, health, housing, and given good governance.

Chile's economy has been opened into a full export oriented economy by signing free trade agreements with the U.S., the European Union, China, Japan and many other nations. Bachelet explains what she sees for Chile.

Bachelet wants to reform to pension plan, create employment and target employment in areas that have larger unemployment rates. “I will subsidise business to create youth employment.”

A major issue for Bachelet is investing “in childcare so women can work, give preschool to children of working families to give women the freedom work and allow children develop.”

She also wants to strengthen the one year-old unemployment insurance system.

Chile's economy is growing at a 6 percent this year, it is expected to continue its growth at the same pace, driven by its export oriented economy and high price of commodity exports to China.

But following the Asian crisis, employment has recovered slowly. The unemployment rate sits at 8.1 percent, Finance Ministry officials expect the unemployment rate to decrease and settle at around 6 and half percent, driven by industry and construction.

But workers worry about their low wages. On average workers earn about 250 to 350 dollars a month, candidates have discussed the unfair distribution of wealth, but the increase in wages will remain a slow road.

Voters want better job security and wages. They also want the new government to strengthen the public health care and better education.

Bachelet faces three opposition candidates: right-wing billionaire businessman Sebastian Piñera, hard-line conservative Joaquín Lavín and left-wing candidate Humanist - Communist Party block candidate Tomás Hirsch.

Piñera who owns a national television station, a major airline and holds interests in many other business has emerged as the leading opponent to Bachelet. He hopes to force a run off election by moving to the political centre.

“I want all to know that Chile in front of a great future and to grasp it, we need new leadership with new strength, new energy with a proven track record and personality,” Piñera said.

Political analyst Raúl Sohr in this election Chile is ready for change. “The fact that Michelle Bachelet is a woman and has been such a successful candidate, it has been a surprise to Chilean themselves.”

“Before she became a candidate, there were serious doubts whether a woman would be able to run and eventually be elected.”

Sohr points out Bachelet is seen as the absolute favourite, “I think it has been a nice surprise for Chileans to see that prejudice and gender prejudice didn't play a role.”

“Perhaps to the contrary it has been a bonus for her to be a woman because she can encapsulate the change.”

Absent from the political debate is former dictator general Augusto Pinochet and human rights. Chileans of all stripes feel this is an issue of the past that is being handled the courts.

Today Chile is close to elect its first female president, but if forced to a run off election Bachelet may have to wait a month longer to became the country's first woman president.