Socialist paediatrician Michelle Bachelet, who suffered prison, torture and exile under Chile’s military dictatorship, was sworn in as the nation’s first female president today.

Chile’s historical rivals and long-time allies joined yesterday in congratulating president-elect Michelle Bachelet, with one South American leader saying women were more than qualified to rule in the region.

Evo Morales, the leftist claiming victory in Bolivia’s presidential race, stayed true to his coca-growing roots yesterday by repeating promises to stop the US-backed eradication of coca, saying the crop that provides the raw material for cocaine is part of Bolivian culture.

US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice says the world’s democracies must use the power of shared ideals “to accelerate democracy’s movement to ever more places across the globe”.

Chilean President Ricardo Lagos is due to begin a two-day trip to Ireland today.