MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

A Lady for Defence in Chile

Chilean president Raúl Lagos reshuffled his cabinet naming a woman for the first time ever as Defence Minister.

Former Health Minister Michelle Bachelet is also the first Socialist to be named in Defence since Socialist president Salvador Allende was violently deposed by the military in September 1973. The new Defence Minister is daughter of an Air Force General who was tortured to death by the military regime of former dictator Augusto Pinochet. Mr. Lagos cabinet moves however confirmed the current economic team and was limited to six of the fifteen ministries, mainly covering social and political areas. This is the third cabinet reshuffle since President Lagos took office in March 2000, and takes place three weeks after the ruling coalition lost its majority in Congress following legislative elections. In spite of managing a sound economy, unemployment and un fulfilled growing expectations, have had an impact in public opinion support for the ruling coalition, particularly the Christina Democrats, that were the main looser in December's election.