Michelle+Bachelet



Michelle Bachelet   On September 29, 1951 in Santiago, Chile’s future first woman president was born: Michelle Bachelet. (“Michelle Bachelet”) She is a determined and smart woman who trained as a doctor and received education in Military Sciences. She speaks Portuguese, French, German, English, and Spanish. (“Michelle Bachelet”) Her parents are Angela Jeria and Alberto Bachelet. She has three children: Sebastian, Francisca, and Sofia. (“Michelle Bachelet”) Michelle Bachelet attended many schools during her childhood due to her fathers occupation as a General in the Air Force. (“Michelle Bachelet”) She went to the University of Chile and helped the healthcare program in 1970. Although her education and childhood appeared bright, there were horrible tragedies that she would encounter. Michelle Bachelet’s father died after being tortured and her mother was later exiled to a torture center with Michelle in 1975. (“Michelle Bachelet”) There she finished her education as a pediatrician. In 2000, Michelle Bachelet became Chile’s Minister of Health, and later became the Minister of Defense. (“Michelle Bachelet”) No other woman had held these jobs before. In 2005, Michelle Bachelet was appointed as a presidential candidate by the Socialist Party. Her campaign greatly promoted the rights for women and helping the pension system. She also solicited rights for the indigenous Mapuche people. (“Michelle Bachelet”) On January 15, 2006, Michelle defeated her rival Sebastian Piñera with 53% of the vote and became president in March. (“Michelle Bachelet") Bachelet's first political dilemma came when high school studets began protesting for better public education. Her popularity dropped after this which was a Chilean record. ("Michelle Bachelet") She continued to face problems while in office with other controversial decisions.