MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Ms. Bachelet leads presidential polls in Chile.

The Chilean presidential pre-candidate Michelle Bachelet from the ruling coalition would win by a 51% landslide in the first round of presidential elections, if they were held next Sunday, according to a public opinion poll from Fundación Chile 21.

Runner up is the conservative candidate and former Santiago mayor Joaquin Lavín with 26,2%. Further behind former Foreign Affairs Minister Soledad Alvear, also from the ruling coalition with 15,7%. Other hopefuls figure below the 1,8% support.

As to the approval of the current administration of President Ricardo Lagos, the poll indicates an accumulated support of 80%, made up of 49% who consider "it has been better than expected", and 33,7% who describe it "as good as the previous government".

Only 10,2% replied that the Lagos administration has been worse than expected and 6,5%, "as bad as could be expected".

Regarding the recent Human Rights Abuses report, a majority of Chileans, 70%, believe that the civilian hierarchies of the military government were well aware of what was happening in Chile during the Pinochet years.

Furthermore 73% of Chileans feel that those politicians who participated in the military government of Mr. Pinochet and continued in politics when the return of democracy must apologize and admit a mea culpa for their collaboration.

Strangely enough 65% of those interviewed believe that the Valech human rights report and the recently approved compensations "will not close the scars of the past". The report, under supervision of the Catholic Church, collects the testimony of 30,000 Chileans who were tortured during the years of Pinochet's dictatorship.

As to priorities for the coming year, health services 22%; employment 18,9%; law and order 17,6% and education 16,8%.

The opinion poll involved 600 people over 18 in Chile's ten main cities.