Polling shows Bachelet with a significant lead
over her closest competitor, Evelyn Matthei. The two women share a
history in Chile's tragic past when the democratically elected
Salvador Allende was overthrown in a bloody coup that the U.S.
supported and helped to plan.
Michelle Bachelet's father, Gen. Alberto
Bachelet, who was loyal to President Allende and the Chilean
constitution and rule of law, was arrested by Augusto Pinochet on
September 11 1973, the first 9/11. He was tortured while in prison
by the junta and died in prison in 1974. Michelle Bachelet and her
mother Angela Jeria were also arrested and imprisoned for two weeks
before going into exile. Both had been tortured while in
custody.
Evelyn Matthei's family history was on the
other side of the political spectrun. Her father, Fernando Matthei
was commander in chief of the Chilean Air Force under Pinochet and
part of the military dictatorship. Matthei's party, the
Independent Democratic Union is of course
right wing. Bachelet, who had been Chile's president previously
from 2006 to 2010, hopes to now improve Chile's education system
and work on combating income inequality.
There are 9 contenders for the Chilean
presidency. Of course Michelle Bachelet with the Socialist Party a
center left party, Evelyn Matthei with the right wing Independent
Democratic Union. Marcel Claude with the Humanist party, another
center left. Marco Enriquez-Ominami with the Progressive Party.
Ricardo Israel with the Regionalist Party of the Independents.
Tomas Jocelyn-Holt Independent Liberal Party. Roxana Miranda
Equality Party. Franco Parisi Independent. Alfredo Sfeir Green
Ecologist Party.
The vote, set for Sunday, November 17, may
herald in another inclusion of another left wing political leader
to South America's growing membership, which includes Nicolas
Maduro (Venezuela), Jose Mujico (Uruguay), Ollanto Humala (Peru),
Rafael Correa (Ecuador), Dilma Rousseff (Brazil) and Evo Morales
(Bolivia).
