Michelle Bachelet easily regains Chile presidency

WJTV.COM ^ | 15 DECEMBER 2013 | AP

[Extremely Extreme Extremist]

SANTIAGO, Chile (AP) - Chile's once and future leader Michelle Bachelet easily won Sunday's presidential runoff, returning center-left parties to power by promising profound social changes in response to years of street protests.

Bachelet won 62 percent of the vote, the most decisive victory in eight decades of Chilean elections. Her conservative rival, Evelyn Matthei only got 37 percent of the vote and conceded defeat in the worst performance for the right in two decades.

Bachelet needs the momentum of her resounding victory to strengthen her mandate and try to overcome congressional opposition to fulfill her promises.

The 62-year old pediatrician ended her 2006-2010 presidency with 84 percent approval ratings despite failing to achieve any major changes. This time however, activists are vowing to hold her to her promises, which include raising corporate taxes to 25 percent from 20 percent to help fund an education overhaul and changing the dictatorship-era constitution, a difficult goal given congressional opposition.

[DIRTYSECRET]

W.A.S.S!

[broken_arrow1]

Ain’t socialism great! It’s spreading like wildfire. Nothing like legalized theft to inspire personal initiative!

[Zhang Fei]

Bachelet, a moderate socialist, was imprisoned herself and forced into exile to the former East Germany.

They re-elected a true red commie.

[fieldmarshaldj]

Allende in a skirt. Pray for Chile.

[Zhang Fei]

Chile is the world's top copper producer, and its fast-growing economy, low unemployment and stable democracy are the envy of Latin America. But many Chileans say more of the copper wealth should be used to fix the underfunded public education system.

A number of North American companies have been affected by the legal measures taken by her against miners. I expect Chile to go down the Venezuelan road, but have a harder landing, because Chilean copper is expensive to extract compared to Venezuelan oil, relative to the selling price.

[WellyP]

Over the past year the Peso has dropped 10% from 475 to the Dollar to 528 to the dollar anticipating a Bachelet victory. I doubt she will be any better for Chile this time than she was the last time.

[X-spurt]

I found Chile to be more like the USA than any other country I have spent any time in. That is a double edged sword.

Like the USA, Chile is capitalistic and freedom loving. But also like the USA, Chile gives its worst internal enemies too much benefit of the doubt, when economically successful willing to share with the left ...... But like the USA only to a point.

If Bachelet thinks she can return Chile to Allende style socialism, she could find herself in an “Allende” ending situation.

[WellyP]

Business started pulling in it's horns about a year ago, nothing too aggressive just quietly investing less. With the entire country invested in the economy via their privatized Social Security System the vast majority don't have a wish for great social upheaval.

[corkoman]

Spot on.. I have been working in Chile past 3 years and amazed at the growth and vitality. Now comes the Left to redistribute things. Not good.

[Yardstick]

...changing the dictatorship-era constitution...

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I wonder what sort of changes were made to the constitution under Pinochet. The court and the parliament of Chile practically begged him to step in for precisely the purpose of preserving the constitution, which Allende was getting ready to change in typical socialist fashion. So my assumpton would be that Pinochet basically kept the constitution as it was, and that to call it the “dicatorship-era” constitution is inaccurate.

[Theodore R.]

Sounds like people in Chile, like their American counterparts, are looking for “their fair share” of the wealth.

[logitech]

Didn’t Herman Cain promote the Chilean form of SS and how well it worked?

I’m confused. Why then the socialism?

[Rembrandt]

People of Chile, you’re going to regret this big time!

[ROCKLOBSTER]

At first glance the headline read:

Michelle Bachmann easily regains Chile presidency

[Pining_4_TX]

Because people will always envy others who are wealthier than they are and covet what they have. Most people don’t get eonomics and how wealth is created. They want more of what they see as a finite amount of wealth.

I guess the one mistake Chile made was to leave education in the hands of government. Had they privatized education, perhaps people would have been less inclined to fall for leftist nonsense.

[Tax-chick]

I guess the one mistake Chile made was to leave education in the hands of government. Had they privatized education, perhaps people would have been less inclined to fall for leftist nonsense.

Good observation.

[GeronL]

Yet another socialist dictatorship “Peoples State”

[GeronL]

is there any place left in South America that hasn’t gone socialist?

[meadsjn]

an “Allende” ending situation.

Allende ended up just fine, just like every socialist should.