Bachelet’s First Month in Office — And What Lies Ahead

On March 11, 2014, Chile experienced a highly symbolic political development when the newly elected head of the senate, Isabel Allende (daughter of the late Salvador Allende), swore in Michelle Bachelet as the new president of Chile. This powerful scene — in a country in which women are still underrepresented in the political, economic, and cultural arenas — was also politically significant, since it marked the first time in a century that a leader was elected twice to the country’s highest office.