A continent renowned for its supposed machismo seems about to get its first female president, Michelle Bachelet. This in itself is interesting, but equally interesting is the divide that can be seen across the continent between a more or less pragmatic group of politicians – Bachelet herself, Kirchner in Argentina, Lula in Brazil, or, to take a name not widely mentioned, Medellin’s new mayor Sergio Fajardo Valderrama, and the more “mediatic” group – Hugo Chavez, Evo Morales and Commandante Marcos.
“Although originally from the hard-leftwing of Chile’s Socialist party, Ms Bachelet is expected to pursue broadly the same mixed economy policies as President Ricardo Lagos. She would inherit sound public finances and an economy that grew by more than 6 per cent last year. Mr Piñera is also an economic moderate, unlikely to change significantly the direction of Latin America’s most successful economy.”
Of course, my explanation for this very striking differential can be found here.
She’s not he first.
Oh, isn’t she? Who was it then?
Ok, ok, as I often say, I am slow sometimes :).
It should read first elected President. Maria Estela Isabel Martinez de Peron was briefly interim president of Argentina, but was never elected.
Violeta Chamorro was first, as far as I can tell. Even Janet Jagan of Guyana was earlier.
This first Latin American woman president
was Nicaragua, in 1991.
Violeta Chamorrow who beat the incumbent
tiranny of Daniel Ortega is UN inspected
elections.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Violeta_Chamorro
Actually, Janet Jagan was sworn to the
presidency of Guyana in Dec, 19, 1997 –
that would make her the 2nd in “Latin”
America (Guyana is English speaking).
She retired due to illness in 1999.
That makes Michelle Bachellet really the
2nd female prez in South America, and the
3rd in All of Latin America.
Sources:
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=10000086&sid=aIU6RqChnGrQ&refer=latin_america
http://www.jagan.org/janet_jagan3.htm#Profile%20of%20Janet%20Jagan,%20O.E.%20%E2%80%93%20First%20Woman%20President%20of%20Guyana