MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

A lady, Chile's next president?

Two women former Cabinet ministers of Chile's ruling coalition are in a position to defeat the most probable conservative candidate, if the presidential election were held now reveals the latest public opinion poll.

Michelle Bachelet and Soledad Alvear, former heads of the Defence and Foreign Affairs Ministries would beat likely presidential hopeful Joaquin Lavin, who narrowly lost to President Ricardo Lagos in 2000. Chilean presidential elections are scheduled for December 2005.

The survey by Fundacion Futuro, linked to the conservative opposition, also showed President Ricardo Lagos enjoying a personal approval rating of 60% with 56% of interviews considering his administration as "very good".

Socialist Ms. Bachelet would win the presidency with 59% of the votes over Lavin's 33%, while Social Democrat Ms. Alvear would beat the conservative candidate by 50% to 36%.

Ms. Bachelet, a physician and daughter of a former Air Force General tortured to death by the Augusto Pinochet military regime was Chile's first-ever woman Defence minister. She stepped down to run for the presidency last September.

Mr. Lavín, currently mayor of Santiago would defeat former Chilean President Eduardo Frei - who ruled between 1994 and 2000, by 43% to 36%. Similarly over Christian Democratic Party chairman Adolfo Zaldivar, 46% to 29%.

Ms. Bachelet is widely favoured to win the ruling coalition's presidential nomination and according to the opinion poll would beat Ms. Alvear by 63% to 31% if a primary to nominate the ruling coalition's candidate.