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The Union of South American Nations (UNASUR) decided at a meeting on Friday to set up a South American Parliament in Bolivia to promote the bloc's integration. Chilean President Michele Bachelet, also the UNASUR's temporary president, and Bolivian President Evo Morales opened the meeting in Bolivia's Cochabamba province which drew representatives from 12 countries in the region. "There are many tasks that the UNASUR is urged to accomplish, as part of the Latin American and Caribbean efforts," Bachelet said. Bolivian Vice President Alvaro Garcia said that UNASUR members consider it necessary to promote the construction of the institutionalism and the...

Ecuador aligns itself with Venezuela, Bolivia, and Cuba In speeches against imperialism and neoliberalism, the presidents of Venezuela, Hugo Chavez, and Bolivia, Evo Morales, and the Ecuadoran President-Elect Rafael Correa, who should assume the government of his country Monday, expressed common ideological and political agreement Sunday. Chavez, Morales, and Correa, who also exalt the figure of Cuban leader Fidel Castro, met together in Zumbahua, an indigenous [Ecuadoran] locality 90 kilometers south of Quito, for a symbolic inauguration of Correa before the indigenous peoples [of Ecuador]. In a speech before a multitude congregated in the central plaza, Correa emphasized that "[Latin]...

HAVANA – The Chilean president says she met with Fidel Castro for 90 minutes, and the ailing Cuban leader appeared "in very good shape." President Michelle Bachelet describes the 82-year-old former Cuban president as "active" and "very well." The two met Thursday behind closed doors to discuss the economy and farming in Bachelet's South American country.

The number of people trying to use the metro has almost doubled Chilean President Michelle Bachelet has sacked four ministers, as polls suggest falling support for her government. The last few months have seen protests in the capital, Santiago, over the introduction of a new transport system. In a national TV address, Ms Bachelet said her government owed an apology to Santiago's residents, especially the poor, for the chaos they have faced. It is the second big cabinet reshuffle since she took office in 2006. The first one followed student protests. Increased strain Speaking on Monday evening, Ms Bachelet...

Chávez lashes out at Mexico On the same day the Calderón administration took steps to ease rocky relations with Venezuela and Cuba, Venezuela´s Hugo Chávez on Thursday hurled personal insults at his Mexican counterpart Wire reports El Universal Viernes 02 de febrero de 2007 On the same day the Calderón administration took steps to ease rocky relations with Venezuela and Cuba, Venezuela´s Hugo Chávez on Thursday hurled personal insults at his Mexican counterpart. Chávez´s ire was raised as he attacked Calderón for comments the latter made in Davos, Switzerland, last week criticizing countries that "nationalize industries" and "interfere in the...

Michelle Bachelet is the current commie president of Chile who made news all week by trashing Gen. Augusto Pinochet after he died. She adamantly refused to give state recognition for Pinochet's funeral, as is customary for former Chilean presidents when they die. Before his death Bachelet was one of the main driving forces attempting to get Pinochet prosecuted for "war crimes" against the dozens of Castro-backed marxist terror cells that he stamped out during his rule. At the funeral earlier this week Pinochet's grandson Augusto Pinochet Molina, a Chilean army captain, praised his grandfather's legacy. Bachelet retaliated against Molina for...

Bachelet's price for supporting Chavez After the speech of the Venezuelan president, the critical comments of the [Venezuelan] Ambassador in Santiago Victor Delgado are what has endangered the inclination of the Chief Executive for this country [to support Venezuela's candidacy for a seat on the UN Security Council] By Sergio Espinosa V. When Hugo Chavez abandoned the podium of the General Assembly of the United Nations, Wednesday the 20th, the echo of his inflammatory speech against the President of the United States, George W. Bush, and his histrionic gestures still resounded in the ears of incredulous listeners. The members of...

WASHINGTON—While the world was focused on the tragic events taking place in Lebanon and northern Israel, something very disturbing happened in South America last week. The trading bloc known as Mercosur (the South American common market), at its summit meeting in the Argentine city of Cordoba, formally supported Venezuela's bid for one of the two Latin American seats on the United Nations Security Council. Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez had worked the summit to make sure he could defeat Guatemala, Washington's preferred candidate, and gain the coveted seat when Argentina's two-year term expires in October. Chavez wants to become a world...

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, who plans to attend the inauguration of a socialist in Chile this weekend, says the United States has no quarrel with leftist leaders in Latin America as long as they govern well. "This is a wonderful moment, the inauguration of the Chilean president, a woman president," Rice told a group of Latin American, Asian and Australian reporters Thursday, a day before she began a trip to those places. She was far less enthusiastic about Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, who frequently calls President Bush a terrorist. But she said the United States wants good relations with...

SOCIALIST Michelle Bachelet, 54, will become the first woman to govern Chile, after defeating conservative billionaire Sebastian Pinera in the run-off presidential election. A former defence minister, Ms Bachelet garnered 53.23 per cent of the vote, more than six points ahead of Pinera, according to partial results. Ms Bachelet's victory will extend the rule of the centre-left coalition that has governed the South American country since the 1990 collapse of Augusto Pinochet's dictatorship. Her electoral victory had been widely anticipated, even though the agnostic single mother of three was not an obvious choice for leadership in this socially conservative Catholic...

Chilean voters have elected a socialist single mother to be their first female president. Conservative billionaire Sebastian Pinera has conceded defeat in the presidential poll, paving the way for Michelle Bachelet. The result marks an amazing turnaround for Dr Bachelet, who was tortured under the regime of former president Augusto Pinochet and forced into exile. Dr Bachelet was swept to victory in the national election with 53 per cent of the vote. Her campaign promptly proclaimed victory saying Dr Bachelet will be "the president of all Chileans". Dr Bachelet had been widely expected to win the election, but her campaign...

SANTIAGO (AFP) - Socialist Michelle Bachelet became Chile's first-ever female president after sweeping the national election with 53 percent of the vote, according to partial results.

Chileans are heading to the polls to vote in a second round of elections that will give them a new president. The candidate leading the opinion polls is Michelle Bachelet, of the governing centre-left coalition. If she wins, she will be Chile's first female president. Her rival is conservative billionaire businessman Sebastian Pinera, who says it is time for a change of government. The election is the fourth since the country returned to democracy in 1990 after 17 years of military rule.

SANTIAGO, Chile (Reuters) - Socialist Michelle Bachelet led Chile's presidential elections on Sunday but had not won enough votes to avoid a potentially tight January run-off, probably against rightist candidate Sebastian Pinera. With more than half of votes counted, the government Electoral Service said Bachelet had 45.68 percent, trailed by rightist opposition candidate Pinera with 25.83 percent. Experts and officials said a run-off was almost certain. If elected Bachelet, a separated mother of three who was tortured and exiled during Chile's 17-year dictatorship, will become Chile's first woman president. Joaquin Lavin, another candidate from Chile's divided conservatives who have been...

SANTIAGO, Chile - Instead of macho handshakes on the campaign trail, the leading candidates in Chile's presidential race are exchanging kisses on the cheek this election year. In this socially conservative country where domestic violence is common and women earn much less than men, the two top parties have selected female nominees, virtually ensuring that Chile will get its first female head of state. Opinion polls show the two women, Michelle Bachelet and Soledad Alvear, commanding huge leads over all other rivals for the Dec. 12 elections. "There are still some macho attitudes in our country, but all opinion polls...