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85-735: The PCCh was founded on 4 June 1912 by Luis Emilio Recabarren , after he left the Democrat Party . The party was initially known as the Socialist Workers' Party, before adopting its current name on 2 January 1922. It achieved congressional representation shortly thereafter and played a leading role in the development of the Chilean labor movement. Closely tied to the Soviet Union and the Third International ,

170-581: A sexual education program to their curriculum. Bachelet's first political crisis came in late April 2006, when massive high school student demonstrations – unseen in three decades – broke out throughout the country, demanding better public education. In June 2006, she sought to dampen the student protests by setting up an 81-member advisory committee, including education experts from all political backgrounds, representatives of ethnic groups, parents, teachers, students, school owners, university rectors, people from diverse religious denominations, etc. Its purpose

255-587: A state of catastrophe and, on Sunday afternoon, sent military troops to the most affected areas in an effort to quell instances of looting and arson. She also imposed night curfews in the most affected cities, but was criticized for not deploying the troops quickly enough. In January 2010 Bachelet opened the Museum of Memory and Human Rights in Santiago, documenting the horrors of Pinochet's 16 + 1 ⁄ 2 -year dictatorship. In November she promulgated

340-532: A bonus to female pensioners for every child born alive. In October 2006 Bachelet enacted legislation to protect subcontracted employees , which would benefit an estimated 1.2 million workers. In June 2009 she introduced pay equality legislation , guaranteeing equal pay for equal work in the private sector, regardless of gender. In September 2009 Bachelet signed the "Chile Grows with You" plan into law, providing comprehensive social services to vulnerable children from ages zero to six. That law also established

425-528: A cloak and military cap, perched atop an amphibious tank . By the end of 2004, Bachelet's surging popularity in opinion polls made her the only politician within the Coalition of Parties for Democracy (Concertación de los Partidos por la Democracia; CPD) who was capable of defeating Joaquín Lavín in the presidential election. As a result, she was chosen as the Socialist Party's candidate for

510-799: A consultant for the Pan-American Health Organization , the World Health Organization , and the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Technische Zusammenarbeit . While working for the National AIDS Commission (Conasida), she became romantically involved with Aníbal Hernán Henríquez Marich, a fellow physician and a right-wing supporter of Pinochet, who fathered her third child, Sofía Catalina, in December 1992. Their relationship ended

595-623: A few years later. From March 1994 and July 1997, Bachelet worked as Senior Assistant to the Deputy Health Minister. Driven by an interest in civil-military relations, Bachelet began studying military strategy at the National Academy of Political and Strategic Studies (ANEPE) in Chile in 1996, earning first place in her class. This achievement earned her a presidential scholarship, allowing her to continue her studies in

680-635: A high of 5.7% in 2006 and a low of −1.0% in 2009 due to the global financial crisis. The real minimum wage increased an average of 2% per year, the lowest increase of any president since 1990, while unemployment hovered between 7 and 8% for the first three years, then rose to nearly 11% during 2009. Inflation averaged 4.5% per year, reaching close to 9% in 2008 due to rising food prices. Absolute poverty fell from 13.7% in November 2006 to 11.5% in November 2009. Bachelet began her term with an unprecedented absolute majority in both chambers of Congress. Prior to

765-540: A law (submitted to Congress during the previous administration) creating the National Institute for Human Rights, with the goal of protecting and promoting human rights in the country. The law also allowed for the reopening of the Rettig and Valech commissions for 18 months. She used her power as president to send a bill to legalize gay marriages, and sponsored a reproductive rights bill. On 10 August 2018

850-710: A law creating the Ministry for the Environment. The new legislation also created the Environmental Evaluation Service and the Superintendency for the Environment. Half of the ministries in her first government were occupied by women; in her successor's team, Sebastián Piñera , 18% were. Bachelet was widely credited for resisting calls from politicians within her own coalition to spend the country's huge copper revenues to close

935-596: A non-governmental organization that provided support for the children of the missing and the tortured in Santiago and Chillán . She served as the head of the Medical Department of the foundation from 1986 and 1990. Some time after the birth of her second child with Dávalos, Francisca Valentina, in February 1984, she and her husband legally separated. Between 1985 and 1987, Bachelet had a romantic relationship with Alex Vojkovic Trier, an engineer and spokesman for

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1020-407: A notorious secret detention center in Santiago, where they were separated and subjected to interrogation and torture. In 2013, Bachelet said she had been interrogated by DINA chief Manuel Contreras there. Some days later, Bachelet was transferred to Cuatro Álamos ("Four Poplars") detention center , where she was held until the end of January. Thanks to the assistance of Roberto Kozak , Bachelet

1105-479: A right-wing opposition that she perceived as "obstructionist". By 2007, the CPD had lost its absolute majority in both chambers of Congress as several senators and deputies from the coalition became independent. In December 2006, Pinochet died. Bachelet decided not to grant him a state funeral , an honour bestowed upon constitutionally elected Chilean presidents, but a military funeral as former commander-in-chief of

1190-600: A scholarship from the Chilean Medical Chamber to specialize in pediatrics and public health at the Roberto del Río Children's Hospital at the University of Chile' (1983–86). She completed the program with excellent grades but did not receive her certification for "financial reasons". During this time, Bachelet also worked at PIDEE (Protection of Children Injured by States of Emergency Foundation),

1275-572: A series of circumstances that forced me to abstain". The government quickly recalled Huepe and accepted his resignation. In May 2008, Bachelet became the first President pro tempore of the Union of South American Nations (Unasur) and in September she called for an urgent summit after Bolivian President Evo Morales warned of a possible coup attempt against him. The presidents of Bolivia, Ecuador, Uruguay, Argentina, Paraguay, Brazil and Colombia, and

1360-561: A social welfare management framework called the "Intersectoral Social Protection System", made up of subsystems such as "Chile Solidario" and "Chile Grows with You". Between 2008 and 2010 the Bachelet administration delivered a so-called "literary briefcase" (a box of books including encyclopedias, dictionaries, poetry works and books for both children and adults) to the 400,000 poorest families with children attending primary school from first to fourth grade. In March 2009, Bachelet launched

1445-467: A status it had to endure for almost a decade until 1958 when it was again legalized. By the 1960s, the party had become a veritable political subculture, with its own symbols and organizations and the support of prominent artists and intellectuals such as Pablo Neruda , the Nobel Prize -winning poet, and Violeta Parra , the songwriter and folk artist. At the time, the U.S. State Department estimated

1530-599: A university student, Bachelet joined the Socialist Youth and was an active supporter of the Popular Unity . In the immediate aftermath of the coup, she and her mother worked as couriers for the underground Socialist Party directorate, which was trying to organize a resistance movement . Eventually, almost all of them were captured and disappeared . In the second half of the 1980s, Bachelet, after her return from exile, became politically active, fighting for

1615-665: A very small proportion of the vote. Nonetheless he was elected a deputy for Antofagasta again in 1921. After he moved to Santiago, he founded and edited La Justicia ( Justice ) newspaper. Fascinated by the October Revolution , and after the party congress of January 22, 1922 that transformed the Socialist Workers Party (POS) into the Communist Party of Chile (PCCh), he travelled to the USSR as

1700-469: Is a Chilean politician who served as President of Chile from 2006 to 2010 and again from 2014 to 2018, becoming the first woman to hold the presidency. She was re-elected in December 2013 with over 62% of the vote, having previously received 54% in 2006, making her the first President of Chile to be re-elected since 1932. After her second term, she served as United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights from 2018 to 2022. Earlier in her career, she

1785-410: Is the second child of archaeologist Ángela Jeria Gómez (1926–2020) and Air Force Brigadier General Alberto Bachelet Martínez (1923–1974). Bachelet's great-great-grandfather, Louis-Joseph Bachelet Lapierre (1820–1864), was a French wine merchant from Chassagne-Montrachet who immigrated to Chile with his Parisian wife, Françoise Jeanne Beault, in 1860. He was hired as a wine-making expert by

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1870-475: The 11 September 1973 coup d'état , Bachelet's father was detained at the Air War Academy on charges of treason. Following months of daily torture at Santiago's Public Prison, he suffered a cardiac arrest that resulted in his death on 12 March 1974. In early January 1975, Bachelet and her mother were detained at their apartment by two DINA agents, who blindfolded them and drove them to Villa Grimaldi ,

1955-564: The 2020 parliamentary election . Prominent members of the Party for Democracy , Radical Party , and Socialist Party questioned the PCCh's praise of the election as "flawless", echoing criticisms from opposition parties in Venezuela that the election was neither free nor fair. However, some of its leaders have also publicly condemned the human rights abuses that have taken place in Venezuela under

2040-743: The Herder Institute of Karl Marx University (now the University of Leipzig ). She gave birth to her first child with Dávalos, Jorge Alberto Sebastián, in June 1978. She returned to Potsdam in September 1978 to continue her medical studies at the Humboldt University of Berlin for two years. Five months after enrolling as a student, however, she obtained authorization to return to her country. After four years in exile, Bachelet returned to Chile in 1979. Her medical school credits from

2125-493: The Manuel Rodríguez Patriotic Front , an armed group that, among other actions, attempted to assassinate Pinochet in 1986. The affair was a minor issue during her presidential campaign, during which she stated that she never supported any of Vojkovic's activities. After Chile's transition to democracy in 1990, Bachelet worked for the Ministry of Health's West Santiago Health Service and served as

2210-552: The National Congress in Valparaíso attended by many foreign heads of states and delegates. Much of Bachelet's first three months as president were spent working on 36 measures she had promised during her campaign to implement during her first 100 days in office. They ranged from simple presidential decrees, such as providing free health care for older patients, to complex bills to reform the social security system and

2295-529: The Socialist Party of Argentina and in 1908 he travelled to Europe ( Spain , France and Belgium ), finally returning to Chile at the end of that year. After his return, Recabarren was arrested and sent to jail in Los Andes for 18 months, from February 1909 until August 1910. In 1911 he moved back to Iquique where, unhappy with his party and together with a group of nitrate workers, he founded

2380-690: The Socialist Workers' Party (POS) on June 4, 1912. Previously, on May 20 of that same year, he had founded the El Despertar de los trabajadores ( The awakening of the Workers ) newspaper to promote his ideas. During its existence (1912–1926) the newspaper was banned several times, but Recabarren continued preaching his socialist credo from any tribune he could get. He moved, this time to Antofagasta , where he founded El Socialista ( The socialist ) newspaper, and El Comunista . In 1915 he

2465-576: The Subercaseaux vineyards in Santiago . Bachelet Lapierre's son, Germán, was born in Santiago in 1862 and, in 1891, married Luisa Brandt Cadot, a Chilean of French and Swiss descent. They had a son, Alberto Bachelet Brandt, born in 1894. Bachelet's maternal great-grandfather, Máximo Jeria Chacón, of Spanish ( Basque ) and Greek heritage, was the first person in Chile to earn a degree in agronomic engineering . He founded several agronomy schools in

2550-684: The balance of power within the Coalition, Bachelet named seven ministers from the Christian Democrat Party (PDC), five from the Party for Democracy (PPD), four from the Socialist Party (PS), one from the Social Democrat Radical Party (PRSD), and three without party affiliation. Bachelet was sworn in as President of the Republic of Chile on 11 March 2006 in a ceremony held in a plenary session of

2635-502: The embargo . No Chilean head of state had visited the country in 37 years. Despite petitions from the Christian Democratic Party of her own governing coalition, and of the opposition parties , Bachelet did not meet with Cuban dissidents during her visit. Soon after the meeting, Castro wrote that the "fascist and vengeful Chilean oligarchy is the same which more than 100 years ago robbed Bolivia of its access to

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2720-537: The "I Choose my PC" program, awarding free computers to poor seventh-graders with excellent academic performance attending government-subsidized schools. During 2009 and 2010 Bachelet delivered maternity packages to all babies born in public hospitals, which are about 80% of total births. In January 2010, Bachelet promulgated a law allowing the distribution of emergency contraception pills in public and private health centers, including to persons under 14, without parental consent. The law also requires high schools to add

2805-516: The Army appointed by President Salvador Allende. She also refused to declare an official national day of mourning , but did authorize flags at military barracks to fly at half staff . Pinochet's coffin was also allowed to be draped in a Chilean flag. Bachelet did not attend his funeral, saying it would be "a violation of [her] conscience", and sent Defense Minister Vivianne Blanlot instead. In April 2008, Bachelet's Education Minister, Yasna Provoste ,

2890-579: The Chilean ambassador in Lima for consultations. The United Nations Security Council election held on 16 October 2006 , which saw a deadlock between Venezuela and Guatemala for the two-year, non-permanent Latin American and Caribbean seat on the Security Council , developed into a significant ideological issue in Chile and was viewed as a test for Bachelet. The governing coalition was split, with

2975-631: The Chilean government filed a formal diplomatic protest with Peru and summoned home its ambassador after Peru published an official map claiming a part of the Pacific Ocean that Chile considers its sovereign territory. Peru said this was just another step in its plans to bring the dispute to the International Court of Justice in The Hague . In January 2008 Peru asked the court to consider the dispute, prompting Bachelet to summon home

3060-596: The Chilean state-owned and independent public broadcaster Televisión Nacional de Chile (TVN) canceled the broadcast of a documentary about the War of the Pacific after a cautionary call was made to the stations' board of directors by Chilean Foreign Relations Minister Alejandro Foxley , apparently acting on demands made by the Peruvian ambassador to Chile; the show was finally broadcast in late May of that year. In August 2007

3145-553: The Christian Democrats. This line was opposed by more radically leftist factions of the Socialist Party and smaller far-left groups. The party was outlawed after the 1973 coup d'état that deposed President Salvador Allende . Much of the Communist leadership went underground, and for a while the party's moderation continued even after the coup had taken place. Also, it has been argued by Mark Ensalaco that crushing

3230-550: The Communist Party was not a top priority for the military junta. In its first statement after the coup, the party leadership still argued that the coup could succeed because the Unidad Popular was too isolated, due to actions of the 'far-left'. Around 1977, the party changed direction. The Communist Party set up a guerrilla organization, the Manuel Rodríguez Patriotic Front . With the restoration of democracy and

3315-513: The GDR were not recognized, so she had to restart her studies where she left off before she fled the country. Despite this setback, she graduated as physician-surgeon on 7 January 1983. Bachelet wanted to work in the public sector where she could make the most impact, but her request to work as a general practitioner was denied by the military government on "political grounds". However, Bachelet's academic achievements and published papers earned her

3400-641: The PCCh is believed to have aided in the electoral victories of former socialist president Ricardo Lagos in the 2000 elections, and in the more recent victory of Chile's first female president, the socialist Michelle Bachelet in January 2006, both of whom won in competitive second round runoffs. From 2013 to 2018, the PCCh was a member of New Majority ( Spanish : Nueva Mayoría ), a leftist coalition led by Michelle Bachelet . The PCCh faced criticism from several parties in Chile after congratulating Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro on his party's victory in

3485-654: The PCCh participated in the Popular Front ( Frente Popular ) government of 1938, growing rapidly among the unionized working class in the 1940s. It then participated to the Popular Front's successor, the Democratic Alliance . Concern over the PCCh's success at building a strong electoral base, combined with the onset of the Cold War , led to its being outlawed in 1948 by a Radical government ,

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3570-550: The Pacific and of copper-rich lands in a humiliating war ". In March 2009, Bachelet hosted in Viña del Mar the "Progressive Leaders Summit", meeting with U.S. Vice President Joe Biden , British Prime Minister Gordon Brown , Spanish Prime Minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero and presidents Tabaré Vázquez of Uruguay, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva of Brazil and Cristina Fernández de Kirchner of Argentina. The meeting garnered some media interest because it took place six days before

3655-740: The Secretary-General of the Organization of American States , met with Bachelet at the La Moneda Palace in Santiago, where they agreed to send two commissions to Bolivia: one to mediate between the executive and the opposition, and another to investigate the killings in Pando Department . In February 2009, Bachelet visited Cuba and met with Fidel Castro . There she urged the United States to put an end to

3740-548: The Socialists supporting Venezuela's bid and the Christian Democrats strongly opposing it. The day before the vote, the president announced through her spokesman that Chile would abstain, citing the lack of regional consensus on a single candidate, ending months of speculation. In March 2007, Chile's ambassador to Venezuela, Claudio Huepe , said in an interview with teleSUR that Bachelet personally told him that she had initially intended to vote for Venezuela but then "there were

3825-804: The United States at the Inter-American Defense College in Washington, D.C., where she completed a Continental Defense Course in 1998. That same year she returned to Chile to work for the Defense Ministry as the Senior Assistant to the Defense Minister and went on to graduate from a Master's program in military science at the Chilean Army 's War Academy. In 1970, during her first year as

3910-589: The United States, where her father was assigned to the military mission at the Chilean Embassy in Washington, D.C. Her family lived for almost two years in Bethesda, Maryland , where she attended Western Junior High School and learned to speak English fluently. Returning to Chile in 1964, she graduated in 1969 from Liceo Nº 1 Javiera Carrera , a prestigious girls' public high school, finishing near

3995-410: The center-right ( RN ), Joaquín Lavín from the right-wing ( UDI ), and Tomás Hirsch from the left ( JPM ). As predicted by opinion polls, she didn't receive the absolute majority needed to win the election outright, obtaining 46% of the vote. On 15 January 2006, she went on to face Piñera in the runoff election and won the presidency with 53.5% of the vote, becoming Chile's first female president and

4080-419: The construction of a new subway line in Santiago, to be operational by 2014 (the date was later changed to mid-2016 ). In February 2007 Santiago's transport system was radically altered with the introduction of Transantiago , designed under the previous administration. The system was nearly unanimously condemned by the media, the users and the opposition, significantly damaging her popularity, and leading to

4165-700: The country and married Lely Johnson, the daughter of an English physician working in Chile. Their son, Máximo Jeria Johnson, married Ángela Gómez Zamora, and they had five children, with Bachelet's mother being the fourth. Bachelet was born in La Cisterna , a middle-class suburb of Santiago . She was named after French actress Michèle Morgan . Bachelet spent many of her childhood years traveling around her native Chile, moving with her family from one military base to another. She lived and attended primary schools in, among other places, Quintero , Antofagasta , and San Bernardo . In 1962, she moved with her family to

4250-433: The death of his first wife, he married Teresa Flores, who helped him with his political activities. After a trip to Antofagasta , Taltal and Tocopilla , Recabarren became aware of the extreme poverty and near-enslavement of the nitrate workers . He decided to act. In 1894, he joined the Democrat Party of Chile . He became an ardent public speaker and founded several organizations and newspapers to foment solidarity among

4335-456: The election of a new president in 1990, the Communist Party of Chile was legalized again. As part of the Popular Unity coalition the PCCh advocated a broad alliance; however, it swung sharply to the left after the 1973 coup, regretting the failure to issue arms to the working class and pursuing an armed struggle against Pinochet's regime. Since the restoration of democracy it has acted independently of its previous partners. Between 1983 and 1987 it

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4420-423: The electoral system. For her first state visit , Bachelet chose Argentina, arriving in Buenos Aires on 21 March. There she met with president Néstor Kirchner , with whom she signed strategic agreements on energy and infrastructure, including the possibility of launching a bidding process to operate the Transandine Railway . In March 2006 Bachelet created an advisory committee to reform the pension system, which

4505-509: The elimination of appointed senators in the 2005 constitutional reforms, the CPD had never held a majority in the Senate. However, she was soon met with internal opposition from several discontented lawmakers in both chambers of Congress, known as díscolos ("disobedient", "ungovernable"). This opposition jeopardized the coalition's fragile and historic congressional majority on a number of key executive-sponsored bills during much of her first two years in office and forced Bachelet to negotiate with

4590-440: The first 100 days of Lagos's government. Although she was successful in reducing the waiting lists by 90%, she was unable to completely eliminate them and offered her resignation, which was promptly rejected by the President. Bachelet authorized the free distribution of the morning-after pill for victims of sexual abuse , which sparked controversy. On 7 January 2002 Bachelet was appointed Minister of National Defense , becoming

4675-412: The first woman in Latin America to reach the presidency through a direct election without being the wife of a previous head of state or political leader. On 30 January 2006, Bachelet was declared President-elect by the Elections Certification Court (Tricel) and announced her cabinet, which, for the first time, was composed of an equal number of men and women, as promised during her campaign. To reflect

4760-414: The first woman in a Latin American country and one of the few in the world to hold this position. As Minister of Defense, she fostered reconciliatory gestures between the military and victims of the dictatorship, leading to General Juan Emilio Cheyre , head of the army, making a historic declaration in 2003 that the military would "never again" subvert democracy in Chile. Additionally, she oversaw reforms of

4845-415: The government of Nicolás Maduro. Former parties Former parties Former parties Luis Emilio Recabarren Luis Emilio Recabarren Serrano ( Spanish pronunciation: [lwis eˈmiljo rekaˈβaren] ; July 6, 1876 – December 19, 1924) was a Chilean political figure . He was elected several times as deputy , and was the driving force behind the worker's movement in Chile. Recabarren

4930-429: The income gap. Instead in 2007 she created the Economic and Social Stabilization Fund, a sovereign wealth fund which accumulates fiscal surpluses above 1% of GDP. This allowed her to finance new social policies and provide economic stimulus packages when the 2008 financial crisis hit the country. During her four years in office, the economy grew at an average rate of 3.3% per year (2.3% on per capita basis), reaching

5015-446: The loan after Congress had refused to approve funds for the beleaguered program in November 2007 – made use of an emergency clause in the Constitution that grants funds equivalent to 2% of the fiscal budget. In November 2008, she invoked the emergency clause again after Congress denied once again funds for the system for 2009. On 27 February 2010, during the last week of summer vacations and less than two weeks before Bachelet's term

5100-409: The military pension system and continued with the modernization process of the Chilean armed forces, including purchasing of new military equipment and participating in international peace operations. One key moment that has been cited as a factor in Bachelet's chances to the presidency occurred in mid-2002, during a flood in northern Santiago. As Defense Minister, she led a rescue operation while wearing

5185-494: The only Chilean delegate to the Union Congress of the Third International that took place in Moscow . He returned in January 1923 to a hero's welcome by the various workers' organizations. Recabarren, for all his fiery rhetoric, was a very sensitive person. After his return to Chile his ideals and projects were bitterly attacked by the majority of the central committee of the Communist Party of Chile , who accused him of being excessively soft and liberal and too much in accord with

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5270-431: The outgoing UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein warmly welcomed the UN General Assembly 's appointment of Michelle Bachelet to succeed him. He said that "She has all the attributes – courage, perseverance, passion, and a deep commitment to human rights". In August 2008, Bachelet signed a freedom of information bill into law, which became effective in April 2009. In January 2010, Bachelet enacted

5355-411: The party membership to be approximately 27,500. It later came to power along with the Socialist Party in the Unidad Popular ("Popular Unity") coalition in 1970. Within the broad Unidad Popular alliance, the communists sided with Allende, a relative moderate from the Socialist Party, and other more moderate forces of that coalition, supporting more gradual reforms and urging to find a compromise with

5440-451: The presidency. Initially hesitant to accept the nomination, as it was never a goal of hers, she eventually agreed as she felt she could not let her supporters down. On 1 October of that year, she stepped down from her government position to fully focus on her campaign and to support the CPD in the municipal elections held later that month. On 28 January 2005 she was officially named the Socialist Party's presidential candidate. An open primary

5525-430: The restoration of democracy in Chile, although not on the front line. In 1995, she became a member of the party's Central Committee and, from 1998 to 2000, she was an active member of the Political Commission. In 1996, she ran against future presidential opponent Joaquín Lavín for the mayorship of Las Condes , a wealthy suburb of Santiago and a right-wing stronghold. Lavín won the 22-candidate election with nearly 78% of

5610-410: The sacking of her Transport minister. On her decision not to abort the plan's start, she said in April 2007 she was given erroneous information which caused her to act against her "instincts." In September 2008, Chile's Constitutional Court declared a US$ 400 million loan by the Inter-American Development Bank to fund the transport system unconstitutional. Bachelet – who had been forced to ask for

5695-480: The social-democratic ideas and not enough in agreement with the opinions of the Comintern . These harsh criticisms, on top of personal and family problems, caused a severe depression. He refused to run for deputy in the 1924 elections and on December 19 of the same year he committed suicide in Santiago at the age of 48. Michelle Bachelet Verónica Michelle Bachelet Jeria ( Spanish: [beˈɾonika miˈʃel βaʃeˈle ˈxeɾja] ; born 29 September 1951 )

5780-424: The third Congress of his party, where they agreed to join the Third International and become the Communist Party of Chile . In 1919 he was deported to the south of the country for three months for speaking against the government. He was a candidate for the Chilean presidential election of 1920 , where he lost to Arturo Alessandri . At the time of that election he was re-incarcerated so he could not campaign and got

5865-509: The top of her class. There she was class president, a member of the choir and volleyball teams, and part of a theater group and a band, "Las Clap Clap," which she co-founded and which toured around several school festivals. In 1970, after obtaining a relatively high score on the university admission test, she entered medical school at the University of Chile , where she was selected in the 113th position (out of 160 admitted applicants). She originally intended to study sociology or economics, but

5950-444: The vote, while Bachelet finished fourth with 2.35%. On 11 March 2000, virtually unknown at the time, Bachelet was appointed Minister of Health by President Ricardo Lagos. She conducted an in-depth study of the public healthcare system which resulted in the creation of the AUGE plan a few years later. During her tenure, she was given the challenging task of eliminating the waiting lists in the overburdened public hospital system within

6035-420: The workers. He initially focussed his political activities on the city of his birth, where he became director and editor of the newspaper El Trabajo ( Work ). In response to his harsh criticisms of governmental labour policies, he was jailed for eight months. In 1905 he moved with his family to Antofagasta , where he became the publisher of the newspaper La Vanguardia ( Vanguard ). On May 15, 1906, Recabarren

6120-454: Was impeached by Congress for her handling of a scandal involving mismanagement of school subsidies. Her conviction was the first for a sitting minister in 36 years. During her first year in office Bachelet faced continuing problems from neighbors Argentina and Peru. In July 2006, she sent a letter of protest to Argentine president Néstor Kirchner after his government issued a decree increasing export tariffs on natural gas to Chile, which

6205-433: Was a candidate for Congress for Antofagasta, but was defeated (probably due to massive fraud). He then moved back to Valparaíso where he lived until 1916, when he started a tour along Chile all the way to Punta Arenas . In 1918 he travelled to Argentina where he participated in the foundation of the Communist Party of Argentina , becoming a member of its first national directory. After his return to Chile, he participated in

6290-469: Was a member of the People's Democratic Movement . In the 1999/2000 presidential elections the party supported Gladys Marín Millie for the national presidential elections. She won 3.2% of the vote in the first round. At the 2005 legislative election , 11 December 2005, the party won 5.1% of the popular vote, but as a result of Chile's binomial electoral rules, no seats. The small but significant support of

6375-560: Was able to go into exile in Australia, where her older brother, Alberto, had moved in 1969. Of her torture, Bachelet said, in 2004, that "it was nothing in comparison to what others suffered". She was "yelled at using abusive language, shaken", and both she and her mother were "threatened with the killing of the other". She was "never tortured with electricity ", but she did see it done to other prisoners. In May 1975, Bachelet left Australia and later relocated to East Germany, where she

6460-725: Was appointed as the first executive director of the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women . Bachelet, a physician with studies in military strategy , also held positions as Health Minister and Defense Minister under President Ricardo Lagos . She is a separated mother of three and identifies as agnostic . In addition to her native Spanish , she is fluent in English and has proficiency in German , French , and Portuguese . Bachelet

6545-829: Was assigned an apartment in Am Stern , Potsdam by the German Democratic Republic (GDR). Her mother joined her a month later and lived separately in Leipzig . In October 1976, Bachelet began working at a communal clinic in the Babelsberg neighborhood as a stepping stone to furthering her medical studies at a university in East Germany. During this time, she met architect Jorge Leopoldo Dávalos Cartes, another Chilean exile, and they married in 1977. In January 1978, Bachelet went to Leipzig to study German at

6630-420: Was born in the port of Valparaíso in 1876, to José Agustín Recabarren and Juana Rosa Serrano. He was of Basque descent. His family was very impoverished. From a very early age, he worked as a typographer to help with his family's finances. Even though he had very little formal education, he was a voracious reader and was self-taught . He married Guadalupe del Canto, with whom he fathered two children. After

6715-506: Was considered by Bachelet to be a violation of a tacit bilateral agreement. In early 2007, Peru accused Chile of unilaterally redefining their shared sea boundary in a section of a law passed by Congress that detailed the borders of the new administrative region of Arica and Parinacota . The impasse was resolved by the Chilean Constitutional Tribunal, which declared that section unconstitutional. In March 2007,

6800-473: Was elected as a deputy for Tocopilla to the National Congress representing the Democrat Party . He was prevented though from assuming his position because he refused to be sworn on a bible, based on his atheism . He moved his family to Iquique . Heavily involved in the labour movement, organising workers both politically and industrially, as a consequence of which he was re-prosecuted by the government and had to escape to Argentina . In that country he joined

6885-515: Was headed by former budget director Mario Marcel. The commission issued its final report in July 2006, and in March 2008 Bachelet signed the bill into law. The new legislation established a Basic Solidarity Pension (PBS) and a Solidarity Pension Contribution (APS), guaranteeing a minimum pension for the 60% poorest segment of the population, regardless of their contribution history. The reform also grants

6970-490: Was prevailed upon by her father to study medicine instead. She has said she opted for medicine because it was 'a concrete way of helping people cope with pain' and 'a way to contribute to improve health in Chile.' Facing growing food shortages, the government of Salvador Allende placed Bachelet's father in charge of the Food Distribution Office. When General Augusto Pinochet suddenly came to power via

7055-404: Was scheduled for July 2005 to determine the CPD's sole presidential candidate, but it was canceled after Bachelet's only rival, Christian Democrat Soledad Alvear , a cabinet member in the first three CPD administrations, withdrew early due to a lack of support within her own party and in opinion polls. In the December 2005 election, Bachelet ran against three candidates: Sebastián Piñera from

7140-455: Was set to expire, Chile was struck by an 8.8-magnitude earthquake that killed over 500 people and caused widespread damage, including the collapse of apartment buildings and bridges and tsunamis that destroyed fishing villages. Bachelet and the government faced criticism for their slow response to the disaster, which hit on a Saturday at 3:34 am and left most of the country without electricity, phone, and Internet access. Bachelet declared

7225-479: Was to propose changes to the country's educational system and serve as a forum to share ideas and views. The committee issued its final report in December 2006. In August 2009, she signed the education reform bill into law, which created two new regulatory bodies: a Superintendency on Education and a Quality Agency. During her presidency Bachelet opened 18 new subway stations in Santiago, nine in 2006, one in 2009 and eight in 2010. In December 2009 Bachelet announced

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