On January 2006 Chile elected its first female president. Michelle Bachelet, from the Socialist Party, won with 53% of the votes. She is described as a strong woman, charismatic and sympathetic to the needs and rights of vulnerable people. Her campaign slogans were about creating a participatory democracy, government for the people and a commitment that the social needs of Chileans will be recognised and permanent solutions sought. Her commitment to people raised her popularity to 62,1% in April, but the government’s slow response to social problems in it’s first three months saw her popularity drop to 44,2% by June 2006.

Bachelet’s presidency has been challenged since the beginning by a country that is now making their voice heard and is claiming a piece of the economical progress, which Chile has experienced in the past 2 years.(M Trivelli )

It started last May when more than one million high school students protested for immediate reform of the Chilean educational system. They demanded abolition of a law created during Pinochet’s dictatorship and increased government expenditure to subsidize student transport and educational costs using the slogan ‘El cobre por el cielo y la educacion por el suelo’ (the copper by the sky and the education by the floor). The students also sought greater participation by young people in politics and government decision-making. The government reacted poorly which led to more than three weeks of protest and eventually the appointment of a new Minister of Education after only 120 days in government. At the same time Bachelet changed the Minister of Economy and Minister of the Interior, Mr. Zaldivar (an active politician over the past 16 years).

Chileans are also protesting about the rising price of gas, and are seeking state intervention to subsidize costs or reduce fuel taxes, which are used for road maintenance. On top of these internal challenges, Chile must also strive to maintain good political and diplomatic relations with its neighbors: Argentina continues to raise the price of natural gas which an import critical to the Chilean economy, Bolivia continues to press Chile for access to the ocean, and there are still minor disputes with Peru over maritime territory and claims that Chile has been building an excessive military resources. In top of this, Bachelet and her government are under pressure from Washington and Hugo Chavez regarding an upcoming (October 2006) Chilean vote in favor of, or against, Venezuela having a seat on the UN Security Council.

In terms of some positive aspects of her government, there has been important progress for women’s development, in a country considered to be ‘machista’ (male headed), especially in politics and the economy. Bachelet has said ‘ I believe if women can give birth, they can tolerate anything and have the strength for everything’, and with this in mind, half of the Ministerial body is represented by women, some in key positions including the General Secretary of State, and Ministers of Economy, Health and Energy. She has also implemented reforms that allow women access to careers in the army and police forces. Chilean women’s groups are positive about the possible changes over the next four years, and the President has promised to create policies ensuring gender equality in the work place, political sphere, education and to protect women’s rights.

Bachelet has full agenda over the next four years, which in my opinion it is a good opportunity, if well used, to prioritize her work according to the real social needs of Chileans. It is also important to note that most of these problems have been present during past presidencies, but have never been given priority or properly solved. Now, Chileans don’t want to wait any longer and expect government interventions to bring permanent solutions.

Students were the first to claim their rights, with all the reasons to do so, as a past student in Chile, I support their argument. Chile is one of the only countries were education is considered a big business. An education law known as LOCE (Ley Organica Constitucional de Ensenanza) was created by Pinochet during his last day in power, on May 10th 1990, and has not yet been derogated even after 16 years of democracy. It seeks to reduce state expenditure in education through privatization. It is based on the right to teach, and not the right to education. It creates free market competition, assuming wrongly that competition improves quality. Under the LOCE any individual, private company or municipality (sostenedor), has the right to open a school with little supervision or intervention by the state. This has created a boom in openings of private schools all over the country. LOCE lacks strong monitoring mechanisms to maintain education quality standards and infrastructure, and limits the rights of students and teachers to influence their educational system locally and nationally.

In past decades, schools have become another way to reinforce social classes and increase the gap between rich and poor. According to Rodrigo Cornejo, Chilean education has become very similar to the ‘apartheid’ system which existed in South Africa. He say that in Chile there are five types of education systems: The paid private, the subsidized private with share payments through monthly fees (this sector has attracted many entrepreneurs for its fast and secure profit-making), the subsidized private (without share payment), public schools for rich communities, and the public schools for poor communities. In Chile, the school that a student goes to places that person in a social ranking. In many cases schools use higher monthly fees to limit intake to students from particular social classes and not necessarily to reflect the quality of the education provided. In the same way parents make a strong effort to place students in private schools, which can charge monthly fees ranging from £48 to £285 (the most expensive school in 2004). Considering Chile has a minimum salary of £122 and an average of £385 p/month, these fees are prohibitive to most families. Similarly Universities are not free, not even the state ones, which retain the best reputation.

The ACES (Assembly Coordinator of Secondary Students), mobilized more than one million students between the ages of 13 and 18, to protest against LOCE and seek its abolition. They sought to stop education being used as a means to promote inequality and to separate rich and poor and they campaigned for free student transport, rather than a subsidized private system that only some students from public schools are eligible for and for limited journeys. They also requested scholarships to cover the costs of the PSU, the national exam that Chilean students must complete to enter university, which currently costs around £19, and reforms to the new educational system of full day of schooling, changed from 4 to 8 hrs, in which only a small percentage of public schools receive state subsidize to provide lunch for its students. (more details about the students' mobilization Spanish/English)

The students strike marked a new era in Chile; it showed a new generation ready to fight for its rights, disappointed by the political system and aware of economic growth by unequal resource distribution. Bachelet has a tough mission ahead as there are high expectations about her presidency, and because as a woman she must prove her ability in a society that is still largely ‘machista’. So far her approach has been firm, she likes to solve things in a constructive and diplomatic way and believes in dialogue and in a participatory government. Yet for some she has been too soft and needs to take stronger positions. It is not going to be an easy job to keep everyone happy, and Bachelet will have to balance Chileans social interests and invested interests in the politics and economics of the country.

It is still early to draw conclusions about the Bachelet government, but it is already clear that politics and democracy are taking a different direction from past decades.