On the face of it, the inauguration of Michelle Bachelet as Chile's new president continues a leftward shift in Latin American politics.  But does it?  I've looked around and found mixed interpretations.  Bachelet has pledged to continue economic policies that have made Chile strong in recent years.  That's conservative.  But she's an agnostic Socialist with who has pledged to bring more women into positions of power.  That's progressive.  While the country, and the rest of the world, must wait to see how her presidency plays out, expats in Chile surely have opinions about the new president.  I invite them to chime in here, in Spanish or in English.  (I'll translate any comments made in Spanish.)

I don't think this election can be seen as a backlash of any kind against conservative policies.  Bachelet was a political prisoner nearly 30 years ago because of her support of Socialist President Salvador Allende, deposed by General Augusto Pinochet.  Now Pinochet has been out of power since 1990.  Some analysts say Bachelet was elected largely on the strength of young voters.  My question is, how could young voters be seen as voting against the policies of a government they never really knew? A 30-year old Chilean voter was 14 when Pinochet lost power, so succeeding presidencies--including more socially-progressive governments--are all he/she knows.  The election of Bachelet was more a continuation than a change of direction.