Chile's first female President the 54yr old Michelle Bachelet also referred to as the "Iron Lady" was inaugurated March 11, 2006. A single Mom, Bachelet is a surgeon, pediatrician and epidemiologist with studies in military strategy. She was, along with her mother, a political prisoner, arrested and tortured during Pinochet's rule. A moderate Socialist, born into a middle-class military family, she campaigned on a platform of continuing Chile's free market policies, while increasing social benefits to help reduce the country's gap between rich and poor. Her campaign slogans
were about creating a participatory
democracy and government for the people.