World welcomes Chile's first female president

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.

Socialist Bachelet, a former political prisoner and defence minister, won Chile’s presidential election on Sunday, becoming the country’s first female president. She is also the first woman directly elected president of a Latin American country not to follow a powerful husband to power.